Starfleet Academy: Deal with the Devil
by Sensara
Summary: Roxanne, friend of Benjamin Sisko, has to accept tutelage from Solok -"Take Me Out to the Holosuite"- to save her grade and stay in the Academy. But what he wants in return may be too much; deals with devils never end well. Rated T for safety.
1. He's a Rugged Sailor

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Solok is from the episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite". Warning: Language. It's rated T for a reason.**_

Autumn was deepening outside the windows of the Launching Pad, where several cadets had gathered to celebrate the end of midterms. About eight human students had claimed a table in the corner near the window, but one, a young woman with short auburn hair, was only halfheartedly participating in bashing Professor V'Klen's rigorous biology exam. She was more concerned with the textbook she had brought along, but already she was regretting coming along with Benjamin and his friends, as they were getting loud and the bar was dark and she was starting to get a headache.

"And what about you, Roxanne? How'd you do?" Benjamin asked, playfully punching her shoulder. She looked up and stared at him a moment, shaking her head.

"Repeat the question," Roxanne murmured, sighing in frustration. Benjamin looked down at the textbook.

"What gives, Roxy? We've hardly completed midterms and already you're studying for another test? Lighten up! Get a drink! Hey, Terra, get Roxy here a drink!"

"You know I don't drink, Benjamin," she said firmly. "Someone has to get your drunk asses home."

Benjamin laughed and shrugged, turning back to his other friends and carrying on about the biology test. Roxanne glanced out the window and watched the leaves fall onto the pavement. The avenue was lined with California sycamores, and their leaves were turning gold. Movement past the window turned her attention down toward the street, and she saw a group of Vulcan cadets walk past. They didn't glance her way, as two were engaged in a conversation and the other three were absorbed in reading a PADD. The male Vulcan leading them seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him at the moment, and besides, his head was turned towards his companion and she didn't get a good look at his face. They stopped at the door, then walked in.

Everyone at her table looked up as the bell rang, but she turned back to her book and engrossed herself in Calculus. She loathed the subject and everything to do with math, but it was a general education requirement and she had to pass it. But as her last few test scores had informed her, she wasn't doing a very good job of that at the moment.

She heard scraping behind her, and she glanced up to see the Vulcan cadets take the table next to theirs, and she finally got a look at the leader. He was tall, with olive skin and sleek black hair like most Vulcans, but unlike most, he had piercing gray eyes. She remembered that he usually sat near her in Calculus, but she couldn't remember his name.

Sisko and the others had started a game of poker, and when asked to join, she declined and continued studying.

After about fifteen minutes, when she felt she was actually making some sort of headway, she looked up and noticed that Sisko and the male Vulcan were talking.

"What is the point of the game? It serves no logical function...in my opinion, it seems quite useless."

Benjamin narrowed his eyes. "Look, just because you don't understand the appeal of playing cards with some friends on a weekend doesn't mean you have to spoil it for the rest of us."

Roxanne swore the Vulcan almost smiled, and he tilted his head at her friend. "My companions and I are studying your illogical human bonding rituals. Perhaps you could explain the appeal to us."

She raised her eyebrows and looked to Benjamin, who by this time had had a few drinks and apparently didn't take kindly to that statement. He called for another, and the Vulcan sat down at the human's table. The two began debating, and eventually Roxanne was forced to put her studying aside and join the table, certain that Sisko was about to make a mockery of himself. She watched the debate spiral down, with the Vulcan winning major points, probably because he was sober and Sisko was nearly wasted.

"Vulcans are naturally superior to humans, and other races that rely on emotion instead of logic. Emotions are a distraction, an unnecessary distraction which the Vulcan people have done away with. Where there is only logic, there can be no room for error."

Sisko nearly growled and then opened his mouth to retort, but Roxanne interrupted.

"Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, you are about to make a fool of yourself. Let the sober people handle this jackass."

She turned to the Vulcan. "You're Solkar, right?"

"Solok," he replied coolly, regarding her with a level gaze, his gray eyes glinting.

"Solok...you realize that logic is malleable, don't you? You can use logic to justify genocide, war, conquest. With only logic as a guide, there's no room for compassion and empathy, which is necessary to living in a connected galaxy like ours."

"I find your argument faulty, Ms. Hartman. Vulcans live by a moral code that prevents genocide and war and the like. We are pacifists and have no need for such things, unlike your species which still, after years of living in this 'connected galaxy', finds pleasure in violence."

Roxanne paused, glowering at him, then she shook her head. "Pacifist? Says the Vulcan picking a fight in a bar. Do you actively look for trouble or are you just in a fighting mood today?"

"What you call a fight, I call debate. And thus you have proven my point by mistaking conversation for violence. I would argue that you, Ms. Hartman, are the one looking for trouble, not I."

"I'm not looking for trouble, Mr. Solok. And what was that about Vulcans being superior to everybody else in the galaxy? Gloat much, you jackass?"

Solok raised an eyebrow, his gray eyes flaring for a moment. "I was merely stating a fact," he replied, his voice not as calm as before. Roxanne grinned.

"Oh, so you do gloat! Isn't that an emotional reaction? What's the logical purpose of vaulting yourself above everyone else? Sounds like Solok here has some self-esteem issues to work out," she said quite audibly to Sisko, who was grinning.

Everyone else at the table who was listening to the conversation started laughing, but Solok remained silent. He was glaring at Roxanne, but then his eyes dropped to the Calculus book she had set aside on an empty chair, and he half-smiled. He turned to his friends.

"Humans have an emotional need for self-importance, and I believe they project that need onto others. But in any case, I do not believe we will have to listen to Ms. Hartman's insipid commentary for much longer. I doubt she'll even make it to the next semester at the Academy."

Roxanne's smile faded from her face, and Sisko narrowed his eyes at Solok. "What is that supposed to mean?" the African-American growled. Solok raised an eyebrow.

"I was merely making a comment on Ms. Hartman's poor performance in Calculus. It's quite amazing that she's gotten this far, yet more astounding that she cannot grasp the simplest of subjects Starfleet Academy has to offer."

Roxanne's grip on the drink Terra had brought her tightened, and she was surprised the Vulcan didn't cower at the look she was giving him. "Are you implying something, Solok?"

He stared at her in satisfaction for a moment before replying. "I simply find it fascinating that Starfleet let such a simpleton as you into their ranks."

"Did you just insult her intelligence, jackass?" Sisko growled. "I'm kind of hard of hearing, so say that one more time."

Solok breathed out quickly through his nose, his eyes gleaming, his expression smug. "Perhaps I should put my comment into simpler terms for you? I said Ms. Hartman is unfit for Starfleet, and that she will most likely fail this semester. Did you understand me that time, Mr. Sisko?"

Sisko was livid, and he quickly glanced at Roxanne, who he thought would be fuming with him. But her expression was deeply hurt, which only fed Benjamin's anger. Roxanne's eyes became glassy with tears, and she quickly stood, grabbed her bag and her Calculus book, and turned to leave. She stopped though, and turned to Solok.

She laughed mirthlessly, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. "It's funny 'cause you're right!" she said loud enough for the entire bar to hear, then she stormed out, but not before Solok saw a tear stream down her cheek. He smiled softly to himself.

Surprisingly, she shut the door quietly on her way out, instead of slamming it like most thought she might. Other patrons across the bar were now looking toward the cadets, wondering what had occurred to make the young woman upset. Sisko could see that the guys at the table were fuming, glaring at Solok, and he turned to the smug Vulcan.

"You son of a bitch," he growled. Another second, and his fist connected with Solok's cheek.

…

Roxanne was tucked away in the far room of the cafeteria complex where only a few other students were sitting. Word of the fight between Solok and crew and Sisko and his friends had already spread around campus, but no one was sure what had caused it. She had no doubt it was her outburst, which in retrospect was rather selfish. She tended to insult herself when she was really upset or stressed, as a way of feeling sorry for herself, and that strangely made her feel better. And this last month she had been making off-hand but nonetheless rude comments about herself to herself or anyone who was in earshot, and mostly that was Benjamin or her roommate Sicily. The latter was a kind soul with a heart of gold, working toward a medical degree, and Roxanne often told her that she would make a wonderful CMO. Sicily would smile and look away, and despite her shyness when it came to compliments, she could be quite the mama bear when it came to her friends. And Roxanne considered herself extremely fortunate to have Sicily as a friend.

After the Solok incident, as Roxanne called it in her mind, she had rushed back to her room on campus, and Sicily was there, hitting the books just like Roxanne.

"_What's wrong, honey?" Sicily asked when she saw Roxanne's tears. She stood and immediately went over to her, gently guiding her to Roxanne's bed. The African-American med student stroked her friend's back while Roxanne descended into a round of pitiful sobs, and after several minutes of whispering that it was going to be all right, Sicily calmed Roxanne enough so the latter could speak._

"_I just met the biggest jackass on the planet," she choked out, hastily wiping away her tears. Sicily's bright brown eyes darkened._

"_Where does he live? I will flay him alive for making you cry, hon."_

"_Don't bother," Roxanne croaked, getting up and fetching water from the kitchenette they shared with the girls next door. "He's Vulcan."_

_Sicily shook her head. "I don't care. Where is he?"_

"_Probably still gloating at the Launching Pad for making a pathetic girl like me cry."_

"_Hey!" Sicily barked, getting up off the bed and stomping over to her. "You are not pathetic! How many times have I told you that putting yourself down isn't getting you anywhere? If this douchebag Vulcan made you cry, you hold your head high and move on. He obviously doesn't deserve your tears."_

_Roxanne sighed and took a drink of water. "He called me a failure."_

_Sicily was quiet for a moment before rubbing her friend's shoulder. "You're not a failure. You can pass that Calculus class, you just have to keep banging away at it. Find a tutor if you need to. I'm sure Ben knows some people who can help you."_

Roxanne sighed to herself and scrolled through the notes on her PADD. She didn't have much of an appetite and was only sipping on some juice, but she glanced away from her reading when she saw a tray set down across from her. She looked up and scowled at its owner, as he was the last person she wanted to see right now.

Solok paused before speaking. "May I sit here?"

She looked around and was surprised to see his friends weren't lurking at another table nearby. He was alone, but she didn't think whatever went down next would stay a secret. She glowered at him.

"What, grace a lowly simpleton like me with your presence?" she said, feigning shock. "Why would such a superior being such as yourself want to associate with me?"

He sat down despite her obvious wish that he go away, and he gently tugged the PADD away from her and read over it. He raised an eyebrow and handed it back to her, and she snatched it out of his hands, choosing to look at it instead of him. But she couldn't help but notice that he sported a green and yellow bruise on his cheek. It was faint, but still visible if one was close enough to the Vulcan to notice. She smiled as she thought she knew who was responsible for Solok's injury.

"I said two days ago that you were going to fail Calculus," he started, and she quickly looked up, gritting her teeth.

"If you're here to taunt me again-"

"I believe I can solve your problem."

She frowned and set down the PADD. "What? How?"

"I can tutor you in Calculus. You can meet me somewhere on campus, or off campus, perhaps three times a week. I will tutor you, and you will pass the course."

She was silent, and her eyes got glassy for a moment before she blinked rapidly. "Is this the Vulcan equivalent of an apology?"

He smirked, his expression going from neutral to smug. "No, this is simply a proposition."

Roxanne shook her head. "I guess I appreciate the offer, and it's a good idea, but I'll find someone else-"

"We have only six weeks left in the semester. I doubt anyone else could, what is the human phrase, 'bring you up to speed' in Calculus before final exams."

She laid her head on her arms, which she folded on the table, and he raised an eyebrow. "Are you frustrated, Ms. Hartman?"

"The hell I'm frustrated! As you pointed out the other night, I'm about to fail, and now you make it sound like you're my only hope!"

He stared at her, triumphant, his eyes practically dancing. She glared at him.

"Fine, I'll be the best student you ever had," she said sarcastically. "But I'm only doing this for my grade, ok?"

He nodded curtly. "You realize that I do expect compensation."

She stared blankly at him for a moment, then laid her head back down on the table. He smirked again.

"I'm not asking much. I'll be giving up my time to tutor you, and I ask you pay me the same courtesy. You'll socialize with me for an hour each day, three days a week, and if my companions are with me, you will socialize with them as well."

"What do you mean, socialize?" she demanded, not sure what to think of their agreement.

He tilted his head. "What do you think I mean by socialize?"

She glared at him, then sighed. He hadn't apologized for insulting her, and whether that was Vulcan pride or just him being a jerk...she wasn't sure. She knew he and his friends had seen how easy it was for them to get her upset, and she had a nagging feeling that 'socializing' would be them pressing her buttons and testing her limits. But then, in her mind's eye, she saw her latest test scores, and the fear of failure stung her again.

"It would be logical to agree to my terms," Solok said quietly. She narrowed her eyes, then sighed again.

"You've got yourself a deal."

He smirked again. "I will admit, I look forward to tutoring you, and to socializing with you. Meet me in the biochemistry lab tomorrow at 1500."

With that, he took up his tray and moved off, and Roxanne laid her head down on the table once more. She had just made a deal with the devil, but if it saved her grade...besides, it was only for a semester. Then she would be free of that pointy-eared jackass forever.


	2. With a Slippery Crew

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you to wcv and Bina W for reviewing.**_

Sisko found Roxanne the next day after lunch. She was under an oak tree, sitting on the grass, engrossed in her Calculus notes. Benjamin sat beside her and clapped her on the shoulder with his free hand; his right arm was in a sling.

"Well, just so you know, every guy at that table gave Solok a good licking for what he said to you."

Roxanne gave him a weak smile. "You didn't have to do that, you know. What happened to your arm?"

"Separated shoulder. I'll be out of the sling by the end of the week...so how's Calculus coming along?"

"Slow, as always."

He glanced at her notes, then shook his head. "I think you need a break, Roxy. Listen, Sicily and Aaron were planning on going down to the Holosuite Bay this afternoon. Wanna join us?"

"I wish I could, but I've got a tutoring session in an hour."

Sisko turned toward her a little more. "Tutoring for Calculus?"

She nodded.

"With who? I hear Hannah Clark is really good."

Roxanne shook her head at him, then looked back down at her notes. "I don't know his name. I've never met him," she lied softly, scrolling down the PADD. She knew if he found out Solok was her tutor that first, he'd flip out, and second, she'd never hear the end of it for agreeing to this in the first place. Benjamin raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh," he said with a grin. "I can tell you're lying, Roxy. Do you like him?"

She let out a genuine laugh. "Ben, don't be getting any ideas. I can assure you now, I won't be starting anything with this guy."

"You haven't even met him," he countered. "He could be the man of your dreams for all you know."

"Trust me, he's not."

"Whatever," he murmured, looking away with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Tell me how it goes, ok? Do you have any plans for tomorrow? Maybe we could get lunch together."

"I'll know tonight what my plans are. I need to arrange a schedule with this guy."

Ben nodded, understanding that she wanted to be left alone, and he stood. "You're doing the right thing, Roxanne. Show Solok who's boss."

She scowled to herself as he walked off. "I intend to," she whispered to herself.

…

The biochemistry lab was completely deserted when she arrived, or so she thought. Solok was seated at a table near the back, in a nook that was hidden by the supply shelf. And he wasn't alone.

She recognized one of his friends from the bar seated across from him, and they were engrossed in quiet conversation. His friend was shorter by about three inches, and his skin was a paler shade of olive than Solok's. The friend's eyes were brown, and they gazed on her with curiosity and arrogance.

"So this is the girl who ran out of the Launching Pad crying?" the friend asked Solok. The latter bowed his head in affirmation, his mouth tugging upward into a smirk. She blinked, then smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I've been having a really bad week. Mind introducing me to your friend, oh Mighty one?" she directed at Solok. The friend raised an eyebrow.

"This is Verok, Ms. Hartman. Verok, may I introduce my new student, Roxanne."

Verok nodded curtly, then gathered his things and left soon after. Roxanne sighed and took the chair Verok had occupied, then looked up at Solok. His eyes were gleaming, but his expression was unreadable.

"Mighty one?" he asked softly, scrolling through the PADD that held the Calculus textbook.

She sighed. "I saw Sisko today. You separated his shoulder."

"And cracked three of his ribs, if I remember correctly," he murmured, setting down the PADD and setting his piercing gaze on her again. "Go to chapter 17 and prepare to take notes."

For the next fifteen minutes, he drilled her in basic Calculus, much of which she already knew. But when they got to harder equations and he still hurtled along at the same speed, she told him to hold up.

"Give me a minute to think that over," she insisted, referring to the latest theory he had made her recite. He tilted his head.

"We will get nowhere if you insist on going slow."

"And all your tutoring will be a waste of time if you don't give me time to digest this stuff."

He allowed her a minute to review everything they had covered thus far. He blinked slowly. "I do not consider this to be a waste of time," he said so quietly she almost didn't hear. She glanced up at him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

He didn't answer, but rather turned her attention back to his lessons. After another hour, he stopped, and she gathered her things.

"I guess I should thank you. I appreciate what you're doing for me."

"You will meet me tomorrow during your lunch hour in the cafeteria, at the same table you were at earlier. My companions and I will be waiting."

She nodded curtly and left the room, hurrying back to her dorm so she could do some studying on her own. So far, things with Solok were ok, but she knew things could turn bad very fast. Knowing Solok, he would probably push her buttons again tomorrow, with his friends as an audience.

She sighed and pulled out a good book, in desperate need of a break from Calculus.

…

The next morning, her first class of the day was Calculus, and she got there a little early. Soon enough, the regular crowd shuffled in, some bright and alert, others, like her, yawning and rubbing their eyes. But she concentrated on the notes she had taken with Solok, and she was happy that they made a little more sense than they did before his lesson. She still had a ways to go, but still, it was a start.

She hardly noticed when he sat beside her, but when she looked up to search the room for her friend Aaron, she nearly jumped at the sight of her Vulcan tutor watching her intently.

"I hope you took sufficient notes last night," Solok said quietly, cocking an eyebrow at the PADD in her hand. "I went over what we will cover today in class."

"That was...thoughtful," she said in reply, frowning at him.

"Your expression suggests otherwise."

She glared at him. "I meant what I said. I'm just not sure why you're sitting by me today. You're usually closer to the front of the room."

He smirked slightly. "I chose to be near you today as to answer any questions you may have, and to make sure my tutoring does not go to waste. You will pay attention."

"It's not my attention span that's the problem here," she hissed, but was prevented from talking further as the professor walked in. Solok nodded to the PADD in her hand, as if she needed reminding to take notes.

The class passed quickly, but she was constantly aware of his presence not a foot from her right arm. The class size was small and the seats rather close to one another, and her elbow occasionally brushed him when she reached the end of a line of notes. He said nothing, nor did he attempt to move further away. He stayed fairly still, his eyes on the teacher or on his notes.

Finally, the professor let them go, and she packed up her things. He did the same, and waited for her as she slipped the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. Roxanne turned and saw him waiting; she blinked.

"When would be a convenient time for us to continue our sessions?" he asked quietly. The room had quickly cleared out, and she realized they were alone.

"Whenever you want," she said coldly.

"Would tomorrow night be acceptable?" he said with a smug gleam in his eye.

"Sounds fine," she said, trying to move past him. He caught her shoulder as she made to leave, and she looked back at him, irritated.

"You will be at the cafeteria on time," he said lightly but firmly, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'll be there, Solok," she growled, then shoved his hand off of her and exited the room. He watched her go, a smug smile on his face.

…

Roxanne took a deep breath before approaching the table of Vulcan cadets. They were engrossed in their conversation, but she saw Solok look up and nod to her in satisfaction. The only seat available at the table was the one next to him, and she set her tray down on the table and sat in the chair.

"I'm pleased you could make it," Solok said lightly. There were several raised eyebrows and some smug looks around the table, and she sighed.

"No problem," she all but growled. She took a sip of her water to give her something to do.

"I do not believe you have met my companions, except for Verok." The Vulcan on her right nodded, his lips twitching upward for a split second. "This is Meral, Stuvak, Tolar, V'Tek, Lonev, Kov and Nuval."

Each of his friends nodded in greeting as Solok said their names. They were all male, and every one of them had the same smug expression on their faces. And they were all focused on her. She swallowed.

"So tell us, Ms. Hartman," said Tolar, who was seated across from her, "what field of study are you in?"

"I'm studying to be a tactical officer," she said quietly, stabbing at a sprig of asparagus on her plate, "that or security."

"That would be consistent with your...combative tendencies," Verok commented. Though none of their expressions changed, almost all of their eyes brightened, and she could see amusement behind their dark irises.

"Even her food is not spared her volatile nature," Solok continued, and the amusement was almost tangible.

Roxanne chewed her food, breathing deeply and reminding herself why she was here in the first place. At the moment, it all seemed very pointless, and she wanted to leave. But she gritted her teeth and continued eating.

They bombarded her with questions about her hobbies, her relationships, her family, what foods she liked to eat and everything in between.

"Did you engage in sexual relations with Garret Vancouver?" Stuvak asked rather abruptly. They were discussing one of her past boyfriends. She frowned at the Vulcan, not sure what to say, then shook her head.

"Why do you want to know?"

Stuvak raised his eyebrows. "I was simply being thorough."

"Well, its none of your business what I did with him. I'm not going to answer that question," she said firmly. She had a headache from dealing with their intrusive and rather personal questions, and she was more irritated then she had been at the bar. These Vulcans were insufferable.

She turned to Solok. "How much longer?"

"Four minutes," he replied smoothly. "Why does Stuvak's question make you so uncomfortable?"

Roxanne looked at him incredulously. "Do I really need to explain it to you? I know you all would feel uncomfortable talking about your sexual exploits with me."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, then cocked an eyebrow and dropped the subject. They continued eating in silence, and finally Solok said she could go. She didn't even bother saying goodbye to his friends, knowing she'd see them again fairly soon. She gathered her things and picked up her tray, then walked away as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself.

She walked back to her dorm, pounding the pavement, fuming, clutching her things to her body. She hardly paid attention to her surroundings until she heard a voice call out her name.

"Roxy!"

She turned and saw Ben Sisko walking toward her, and she stopped.

He stared at her a moment when he reached her. "You ok?"

She didn't reply, but kept walking toward her dorm, which was in sight now. Sisko frowned at her.

"Ok, what's going on? What's got you on the rampage?"

"I don't wanna talk about it, Ben." She walked a few steps more before stopping and turning to him. "I'll be ok, and thanks for asking."

She quickly turned off the path and headed up a small hill to the tree she liked to sit under, and Ben followed.

"Can we talk about something other than me right now? Tell me about your day," she said as he sat down. He looked at her for a moment, then nodded and told her a funny story about something that had happened in class that day.

Solok nodded farewell to his companions and set off toward the chemistry labs, reading a PADD as he went. The sky above him was bright blue but partially cloudy, and the wind was cool. He shrugged off the chill that crept over him with the wind and zipped up his jacket against the cold. The sun, for the moment, was obscured by a cloud, casting the world into shadows.

He was absorbed in reading over his notes when he heard laughter, and he looked up just as the sun came out from behind the clouds. Time seemed to slow.

Roxanne Hartman was sitting underneath a tree, laughing at something Benjamin Sisko had just said. Her bright green eyes were alight with her laughter, making them the liveliest he had ever seen. Her eyes were always narrowed or cold when she looked at him, but out here, in the autumn weather with the sun shining down on her...Her short auburn hair was glowing at the tips as the sun beat down on them, and it made it seem as if she had a fiery aura around her, as if she were emitting some otherwordly, ethereal light from her pale flesh. The apples of her cheeks were flushed pink, and as he walked closer, he noticed for the first time a spray of freckles across her nose and cheeks, tiny brown dots that darkened in the sunlight.

He found the sight exquisite.

Unfamiliar warmth spread from his abdomen up to his chest, and his fingertips were tingling. His throat felt suddenly tight, and he swallowed, trying to relieve the tightness, as he found it uncomfortable. Solok breathed in and walked on, quickly banishing the memory of her bright, lively eyes to the darkest recesses of his mind. It was illogical to take pleasure in the sight of a human woman. She was irrational, as volatile as the emotions he had managed to coax from her. She was human, unworthy of his attention or of his admiration.

And yet...he could not deny that the sight of Roxanne laughing in the sunlight was an aesthetically pleasing one. By human standards, she was quite attractive, and even by Vulcan standards, she was not unpleasant to look at. Quite the opposite...

He shook his head like a dog clearing its ears of water and hurried on, once again disciplining his thoughts and focusing on his notes, refusing to acknowledge that Roxanne's laughter was still ringing in his ears.


	3. He Can Be Kind

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you to dinopoodle, Bina W and especially Ardala91 for reviewing.**_

_**Debbie Hicks, may I say I am flattered that you are back again to review my work. But I have a question: does this look like a Sailor Moon crossover to you? Your review went off on a wild tangent, and although I appreciate that you want to give me your feedback, is it too much to ask that you keep it on topic?**_

"I do _not _have a crush on Benjamin Sisko!" Roxanne insisted. "I do not think of him in any romantic sense whatsoever!"

Solok smirked at her emotional outburst and looked back down at his PADD, scrolling down to the next chapter. "Let's continue with Chapter 21," he replied calmly. He spoke again after a brief pause."I simply noted the amount of time you spend with him and was curious if your relationship was more than platonic."

"As I've told you about five times now, it's not. We're _friends_." She sighed in frustration and found the chapter, and the lesson continued without any more tangents until the last five minutes or so.

"Are you in a romantic relationship with anyone?"

She looked up at him, frowning. She was utterly bemused as to his motivation for asking the question, and she took a moment to compose an answer. "No...why are you so interested in my love life today, Solok?"

"I am curious about many aspects of your life, Ms. Hartman. Your romantic endeavors are a part of that. Now...are you involved in a romantic relationship?"

She stared at him, her eyes narrowed. "That's none of your business," she growled, and he quirked an eyebrow. A tiny smile formed on his lips, and his eyes became smug.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said softly, staring at her in triumph. Her eyes narrowed further.

"That's none of your business," she repeated slowly and firmly, and he decided to drop the subject. They made plans for their next session, and she packed up, ready to leave. He stopped her.

"There is a concert this coming weekend at the Jubilee Concert Hall in San Francisco. The Vulcan Philharmonic Orchestra is on tour and they are playing several Earth pieces this Friday."

She sighed, suddenly feeling very tired as she thought of the long weeks left of "socializing" with this pompous Vulcan. "Wait, I thought we already did three hours of stuff this week."

"You have fulfilled your end of our arrangement this week, yes," he said, then paused. She looked up, and he was staring at her intently. "I'm asking you to go," he continued, his voice softer, and she could hear the hesitancy in his voice.

"Solok," she said slowly, "are you asking me out on a date?"

He raised one eyebrow, his eyes darkening. "Vulcans do not ask human females on 'dates', Ms. Hartman. I'm asking you to go."

Roxanne shook her head in disbelief. "Sounds like a date to me. Would I have to dress up for this thing?"

He tilted his head. "Is that a yes?"

"I haven't decided yet. Would I have to dress up?"

He stared at her a moment. "Your uniform would suffice, however...I would not be adverse to seeing you in something more formal."

She blushed, not sure if he was complementing her or not. He and his friends had thrown relentless insults at her for the last three weeks, and she had put up with it. Her last Calculus test showed that Solok's tutoring was counting for something, as she actually managed to make a low B instead of the D's and F's she was used to.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She had seen the Vulcan Philharmonic before on Dendros II, as part of a week-long summer vacation there with her family. The orchestra was brilliant, ninety-three Vulcans with instruments from all over the Federation, playing a wide variety of musical styles. With or without Solok, she would be happy to hear them play again.

"So will you accompany me or not?"

She paused for a moment. Part of her told her she owed Solok for the good grades she was getting, but then she reminded herself that she owed Solok nothing. He was tutoring her, and in exchange he was slowly making her life a living hell.

"Yeah, whatever, I'll go. But only because I happen to like the Vulcan Philharmonic Orchestra."

His eyes were gleaming brightly in triumph, and he smirked as he made to walk past her. "Until Friday, Ms. Hartman," he murmured. He quickly left the lab before she could turn and face him. She shivered, then sat back down in the chair she had recently vacated, her face buried in her hands.

On second thought, she should have refused him. She should have just walked away and not worried about it. But there was that hesitancy in his voice, and she actually had felt a twinge of pity for the jackass, and couldn't bring herself to shoot him down. She should have turned it around and shoved it in his face, but she reasoned to herself that he probably would have made her life even more of a living hell if she had rudely refused him. Or worse, if such a thing were possible, he would walk away and she would fail and be put on academic probation, or be kicked out of Starfleet altogether. She was relieved to have found a good excuse for her acceptance, and she was too tired to berate herself for agreeing. She tried to think positive, about how it would be wonderful to hear the orchestra, no matter what her companion said or did. Or companions. But then, she didn't think Solok was going to invite anyone else, and the thought made her slightly queasy. She leaped up from the chair, slung her bag resolutely over her shoulder and headed back to her dorm.

Sicily glanced up when she walked in. "Hey," the med student said warmly, "how'd tutoring go?"

"All right," Roxanne replied absentmindedly, picking up a book she had been reading the night before and trying to distract herself with it.

"I can't believe you won't tell me who's tutoring you. Unless of course you do more than tutoring during your sessions...if you catch my drift," Sicily teased, giggling when Roxanne turned red. "I'm sorry, Roxanne, I couldn't resist."

"I didn't need that mental picture, thank you," Roxanne murmured, closing her eyes in disgust.

Sicily sighed. "Just wondering who you're with all the time. You spend half your week with him now."

The redhead sighed as well, once again trying to engross herself in her book.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?"

Roxanne looked up at Sicily, who was busy braiding her hair. "Actually, I have a date on Friday," she said, rather unenthusiastically.

Her roommate turned her head. "Don't tell me it's a pity date. Let me guess, Roger Stone from Intro to Tactics?"

She laughed. "Oh, no, its much worse than that. It's not a pity date, it's...Sicily, if I tell you about this, will you promise not to laugh?"

The med student nodded. "Baby, you know you can tell me anything."

Roxanne sighed. "All right...remember the jackass from the bar? Solok?"

"The Vulcan? What about him?"

"Well...he's my Calculus tutor."

Sicily was quiet for a moment. "No way."

"Yes way."

She frowned in shock. "How...I thought you hated him! Don't tell me this is belligerent sexual tension here."

"What? No! I'm not attracted to him, I just...he invited me to go see the Vulcan Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday. I don't know why, but...I said yes."

Sicily tilted her head. "So you were just being polite."

"Yeah."

She nodded. "There's nothing wrong with that. What are you going to wear?"

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "He said my uniform would be fine. But I don't want to wear what I wear every day, but I don't want to get dressed up just for him, you know?"

"I won't let you go out on a date looking like trash, no matter how much you hate him."

"I'm not going to look like trash. But I don't want...nevermind. I'll think of something."

…

Solok had never described himself as impatient, but he found himself standing by the aircar, shuffling the two tickets in his hands. Stuvak and Verok had questioned him when he procured the tickets, but he had brushed them off; he wasn't ready to explain anything about this...'date' to them yet. When he felt a twinge of anxiety at the thought that she wasn't coming, he shoved it down, and was rewarded with the clicking of heels on pavement.

Roxanne walked out of the campus gate, her eyes bright with irritation, and he nodded to her, allowing his eyes to roam over her body. Her hair was glowing in the dying sunlight, much like he remembered, and the bright blue jacket she wore over her simple black sweater accented her hair beautifully. Everything about her outfit was simple, yet she was holding herself with a confidence that he hadn't seen before, and it made her look elegant.

His companion's eyes roamed over him, and he was pleased to see a flash of approval and surprise in her eyes. He was dressed in the Vulcan equivalent of a suit, a simple, form-accentuating ensemble in dark slate gray with his Starfleet-issued boots. She didn't want to admit to herself that the suit revealed that he was lean and trim, built like a tennis player, or that the color brought out the pale gray of his eyes. No, Solok did not look good in that suit.

The Vulcan, to her surprise, opened the aircar door for her and lightly held her hand as she climbed in, then shut the door and went over to his side. With the press of a few buttons, they were off, soaring in the air over Starfleet Academy, headed over the bay to San Francisco.

"You were late. My opinion of you aside, you are always punctual, even early. May I inquire what prevented you from being punctual today?"

"I ran into Sisko on the way over here. He wanted to know who I was 'gussied up' for...but I didn't tell him."

Solok turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Look, I haven't even told him that you're tutoring me in Calculus, much less that you invited me to this concert. He'd have a fit if he knew, and I've already got enough drama in my life right now."

He smirked. "Sisko would have an entirely inappropriate emotional reaction."

She shook her head, a wry smile twisting her lips slightly upward. "He'd hound me down and demand to know why I'm even bothering to spend time with you."

He was silent for a moment. "And why are you spending time with me?"

"To save my grade," Roxanne replied simply.

"I hear you're doing better in Calculus."

"Yeah, thanks to you," she said, not sounding particularly grateful or enthusiastic. "So...what pieces are the orchestra going to play? Do you know?"

"I glanced briefly at the program. I recognized several Vulcan scores, and a few by Bach. Otherwise, I do not know."

She nodded and stared out the window, not sure what to say. His motivation for bringing her along was still a mystery to her, and if she was honest with herself, she would admit that it was nice, although disconcerting, to see him be so cordial toward her. As far as she could tell, he had only lobbed one insult at her so far, and even that was vague. He was practically a gentleman tonight.

He let down the car as smoothly as he had taken off, then helped her from the vehicle. The crowd in front of the concert hall was large and growing by the minute, but he lightly led her forward with a gentle hand on the small of her back, so gentle that she could hardly feel it. They walked side by side; Solok deliberately did not lead her, and each time she fell behind a little, he matched her pace and fell back as well.

They waited in line for perhaps ten minutes, and both were quiet. He found their seats, driving her forward with his hand again. She was a bit annoyed that he simply couldn't lead her, but then she reasoned that he probably didn't want to lose her in the large crowd, and that she had no idea where to go. They sat down, side by side, their seats to the left of the stage and about halfway toward the back. Soon the lights dimmed, and the Vulcan orchestra walked on stage and began to play.

Their first piece was an Andorian concerto, or whatever the equivalent was. Roxanne tilted her head, smiling slightly at the foreign nature of the music. It jumped and skipped in places she didn't expect, and some of the harmonies sounded off, but the general swell and fall of the music made her hair stand on end. Solok glanced at her near the end of the performance, and her eyes were shining in the dim light coming from the stage. Her breathing was steady, slow, relaxed, and her gaze was fixed on the stage. The rhythm sped up, and her eyes widened slightly, her breathing increased. He cocked an eyebrow, fascinated in the physical changes her body exhibited at the sound of the Andorian score.

The next three pieces were by Bach, and her expression and posture were generally relaxed, almost bored, throughout the songs. Then the orchestra began a Vulcan piece, and her eyebrows momentarily furrowed before rising. Her eyes were wide, again fixed on the stage instead of on her lap. She nodded almost imperceptibly to the music, and halfway through the piece, she closed her eyes. He watched her intently, watched her control her breathing and relax into her seat. He raised his eyebrows when a single tear rolled down her cheek, and he stopped his hand from gently brushing it away.

The piece had moved her. Somehow, an art form from his planet had moved her to tears, and the notion both confused and pleased him. He, of course, considered all Vulcan art forms to be above all others in the quadrant, and to watch his human companion breathe in and open her tear-filled eyes as the music reached a crescendo...he felt strangely connected with her, having shared a piece of his world with her and seeing her like it so much that she would cry...

The rest of the concert passed quickly with a few more Earth scores and a Tellarite anthem, and soon the audience was standing and applauding the musicians. The lights came back on, and everyone began moving toward the exit. When Roxanne made to follow the man on her other side, Solok called her back.

"Ms. Hartman," he said quickly, perhaps a little sharper than he intended. He gestured to her seat, indicating that he wanted to wait for the crowd to dissipate before leaving the concert hall. She sat down, watching the orchestra pack up their things and slowly file off stage.

His hands were steepled in front of him and he looked pensive.

"Did you enjoy the concert?" he asked quietly. She nodded.

"It was beautiful. The orchestra is very talented."

"They are one of Vulcan's finest music groups. I'm...pleased that you enjoyed it."

There was a slight pause, and most of the crowd had dispersed, so he gestured toward the exit. She led him out, or it appeared so because he remained behind her. The very last remnants of daylight lit up the western horizon, and a beam of sunlight caught her hair. The tips glowed again, and he shook his head to himself. Her hair was not aesthetically pleasing, especially not in the dying light of day. She was human, irrational. She had cried during the performance. But it had pleased him...was it not a testament to the performance that she would be so moved?

He shook his head of questions and helped her back into the car. He took off, heading further into the city.

"Where are you going? Starfleet Academy is that way," Roxanne said when she noticed where they were going, pointing in the opposite direction of their heading to prove her point.

"I am aware of that."

"Then where are we going?" she said, suddenly sounding nervous.

"I wish to eat," he said simply. "Do you wish to dine with me?"

He could hear her stomach rumbling, and he smirked as she stared at her lap as if conflicted. Obviously, she had not anticipated their engagement lasting this long, and perhaps the thought of a private meal with him was daunting to her. She sighed.

"Yeah, I'm hungry."

"Do you favor Italian food?"

She smiled wryly. "I really don't have a preference right now. Italian would be fine."

They arrived at a restaurant and were seated at a table outside on the patio, in a secluded corner. Roxanne cursed her luck and sighed very quietly to herself as she sat down and looked at the softly lit arbor above their heads. The restaurant was on a hill overlooking the busy street, and the hum of traffic was a soft whisper drifting through the cool autumn air. The horizon was dull pink, fading fast, and the stars were starting to peek out.

"Well," she said softly, more to herself than to him, "this is ironically romantic." She had intended the remark to be sarcastic, but Solok simply tilted his head.

"These surroundings bother you?"

"No, they're just...nevermind, forget I said anything."

He cocked an eyebrow and began scanning the menu, and she did the same. The waiter approached them again and asked what they wanted to drink, and they both ordered water. The man retreated, leaving them alone. The candles on the table flickered in the breeze, and Solok was reminded of his home and sitting in a warm courtyard, surrounded by twilight and sun-baked stone, a candle flickering on the pavement in front of him. He watched the candle for a moment, then his gaze flicked up to meet Roxanne's.

She shivered, and he could see goosebumps rising on her arms. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, only that she was probably cold. It was a cool night out tonight, the air more moist than what he was accustomed to, but the scent of the California wild rose bush growing on the other side of the wooden railing had a pleasant scent, and the lights from the arbor made her auburn hair gleam when she moved. She was right, this setting was ironically romantic by human standards.

Their drinks came and they ordered without further ado, and after a moment of silence as she sipped her water, she set her gaze on him, smiling mischievously.

"So tell me, Solok...what did you think of the concert?"

"It was pleasant," he replied lightly, ignoring the fact that her cheeks were slowly turning pink in the cool night air. "As you pointed out, the orchestra is quite talented."

"Did you recognize the Vulcan piece?"

He paused a moment. "I believe it was composed by Saakek, one of her early works."

Roxanne sighed, her eyes on the candle flame. "It was beautiful."

"It moved you."

She glanced up at that, her expression conflicted. "Like I said, it was beautiful," she said, her voice edged with a defensive tone. He cocked an eyebrow as if in challenge, and she smiled mirthlessly back. He was prevented from saying anything more when their food arrived. Another ten minutes passed as they ate. Finally, Solok put down his fork, fairly full even though only half of the food on his plate was still there.

"You had an emotional reaction to beauty, Ms. Hartman?"

She too had eaten little, and she set down her fork and sipped her water. "I'm human, as you have so lovingly pointed out to me over the last few weeks."

"Love is an emotion," he said firmly, and she grinned, restraining herself from rolling her eyes. "Please refrain from ascribing your human emotions to me."

"Forgive me, Solok," she said with a genuine smile, her voice deepening. "As I was saying, I am human, and a woman at that. I can't help but find beauty to be emotionally stirring."

"I assure you, Ms. Hartman," he said softly, his voice neutral, "it has not escaped my notice that you are human...or that you are a woman," he added after a pause. The look in his eyes as he said those words told her that he did not mean the statement to be patronizing. "It seems to have escaped the notice of many human males on campus. I certainly did not expect you to be free tonight...and I did not expect so many of your male companions to be so blind to someone as...emotionally stirring as you."

She blushed furiously, confused, not quite sure if he had complemented her or insulted her male friends. His statement was cryptic, and Solok was rarely vague. But tonight, he was certainly less straightforward than usual.

Solok silently berated himself for admitting to her the fact that he found her aesthetically pleasing, perhaps even beautiful. But to his relief, his compliment was vague enough that she was confused.

They quickly finished dinner and left the establishment, and soon they were cruising through the dark night sky, finally headed back to Starfleet Academy.

"This emotional reaction to beauty that we talked about...I find it fascinating," he said once he could see the lights of the campus. He prepared for landing.

"Do you?" she said quietly, her grin wry and mirthless. "I thought you detested emotion."

"Scientific curiosity is inherent in almost all Vulcans. Your emotional reaction to beauty appeals to my curiosity. I'm sure you understand."

"Certainly," she said, her grin becoming genuine. "And how do you propose you satisfy this scientific curiosity? Play me beautiful music and watch me cry?"

He smirked. "I will think of something. And I will satisfy this curiosity, Ms. Hartman. I find it the most fascinating thing about you."

She raised both eyebrows, the playful, mischievous gleam fading from her bright green eyes. She blushed and looked down at her lap.

"Sicily will be waiting for me. To be honest, I thought this evening would be a disaster, but...it was nice."

She turned to him and held out her hand, and he stared at it for a few moments before shaking it.

"Bring your best on Monday. We're back to our normal terms, agreed?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Agreed. Until Monday, Ms. Hartman...I too enjoyed our evening together. Are you free next Friday?"

She glanced at the floor of the car. "As far as I know," she said, meeting his gaze again.

"Then I will begin to satisfy my curiosity next Friday. I would like to spend two hours with you, not one...if that is agreeable to you."

She blushed again, and his eyes gleamed. "I can't believe I'm saying this...fine, satisfy your curiosity."

She got out of the car, muttering to herself about how she was going crazy. She shut the door, then turned around and waved at him with a falsely cheery smile on her face. He raised his eyebrows and drove away, and she went back to her dorm.


	4. But He Can Be Selfish Too

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Bina, angst this is and angst this will stay. Unless you can come up with a really good reason to change my mind ;).**_

_**wcv, perhaps Solok in the Mirror Universe has such a 'stache. I, for one, wouldn't be surprised.**_

Roxanne awoke with a jolt, then breathed in slowly and rolled over to check her alarm clock. _0200_. She reminded herself that this was a weekend and that she was free to sleep in as long as she liked, then rolled back over, snuggling deep into her pillow. The room was a bit cold this early in the morning, as the climate controls didn't kick back in until about 0330. She tucked the covers in around her body and curled into a ball.

Her mind drifted to the night before and the date with Solok. Or whatever it was. She admitted to herself (very reluctantly) that she had actually enjoyed herself, and Solok, for once, hadn't been unbearable. He had actually been fairly polite in comparison with the way he usually treated her, but some of his comments were so vague that she wasn't sure what to think.

_My opinion of you aside, you are always punctual, if not early_. Did that imply that his opinion of her was negative? What was his opinion of her? And why did she care in the first place? She had made it fairly clear that she found him and the company he kept to be distasteful.

And then there was the comment about the guys around campus and her being 'emotionally stirring'. What was that supposed to even mean? The best she could come up with was that he was once again lobbing a cheap insult at everyone who gave in to emotions, including the human males on campus. _Whatever_, she thought to herself. Once this semester was over, she would avoid him like the plague and be done with it. Unfortunately, they were in the same year, so she couldn't look forward to the day he would be off this planet, not for another three years or so.

And if Ben ever found out Solok was her Calculus tutor...

Roxanne and Ben had met in an insufferably boring History of the Federation class last year at the Academy. They sat in the back together and had whiled away the tedious hours by making jokes about the old professor teaching the course, and thanks to Sicily, managed to pass the course. Sicily and Ben had been dating off and on at the time, and now it was a permanent off, but they had parted amicably and still remained fairly good friends. She and Sicily had gotten close and then roomed together, and the latter was a steady rock when things got tough. And things did get tough, even before this Calculus class and the Solok fiasco.

Roxanne's father had fought in several wars and could be very ill-tempered. He expected nothing but the best from his son and daughter, and didn't hesitate to ground his children if they didn't come home with the highest marks they could make. Roxanne missed her best friend's sweet sixteen because of a B in Geometry her sophomore year in high school. And even after she had gone to the Academy, her father checked in often to hound her about her grades.

If he ever found out she had been previously failing Calculus...

Well, she was nineteen now, going on twenty. Her grades were none of his business, and besides, thanks to Solok, she could probably make an A. She rolled over, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.

…

Solok awoke with a sharp but soft breath in through his nose, and he closed his eyes again. It was early morning, around 0500, and he settled himself down, remembering that he didn't have to rise for another hour or so. Weekend or not, he wasn't about to waste the day sleeping. He had work to do and tests to study for, and an engagement with Roxanne to plan...

At the thought of her, his dream came rushing back.

_He and Roxanne had been sitting in that Italian restaurant, out on the patio underneath the lights like stars, but it was only the two of them. They were talking about her grades and discussing when to meet next, and suddenly the scene began to change. They were out on the beach, sitting across from each other in the wet sand, and the waves pounded over his lower body. It was invigorating, and it intrigued him when Roxanne leaned forward, her hands pressing down into the sand. She came closer, close enough for him to see the delicate creases in her plump pink lips...he tilted his head..._

He closed his eyes tight against any further thought of the dream and slipped silently out of bed. He padded over to the corner he had set up for meditation purposes, then lit some candles and sat cross-legged on the floor.

That dream...it had been strangely enjoyable to see Roxanne again, but he vehemently denied the distinct pleasure he felt at the sight of her. No, they had not been about to kiss. No, the thought of that did not intrigue him beyond simple curiosity. No, he did not secretly wish that the dream had continued so he could have known what it might be like to kiss a human woman, the human way.

He continued meditating until the sunlight crept into the room and his roommate got up and left to exercise. He spent the day studying his notes, trying not to let his thoughts stray to the dream or to Friday. But he did know what he wanted to do with Roxanne. The beach would be cold this time of year, and the moisture disagreeable, and he would be in close proximity to a large body of water. Yet, he could not deny his curiosity. The view of the stars from the beach was considered quite aesthetically pleasing by humans, and he had told Roxanne that he wanted to study her emotional reaction to beauty.

He sighed almost imperceptibly and continued his studies.

…

The week passed as usual, but with only two Calculus sessions and two "social meetings". Friday came, and Roxanne sighed quietly to herself when Solok headed toward her in Calculus class. As was now his habit, he took the seat beside her and began taking things out of his bag, but then his cool gray eyes found hers, and he nodded in greeting.

"Wear something warm tonight, Ms. Hartman," he said quietly. "It will be cool."

"Are we going outdoors?"

"Is that agreeable?"

She scrolled down the PADD to a free space for today's notes. "Sounds fine."

He nodded, and the class began soon after. When it ended, he motioned for her to stay behind a moment.

"We will meet at the gate at 1900 hours, if that is convenient."

"Can we make it 2000? I have a paper for another class I need to finish."

He bowed his head. "That would be acceptable."

She stared at him a moment longer, confusion written all over her face, and then she turned and walked away. He followed slowly behind; the warm feeling returned when the sunlight streaming through the windows made her hair seem to glow. He sighed to himself and marched off to his next class.

Stuvak was there, reading over his textbook, and Solok took a seat beside him.

"What are your plans for this evening?" his companion asked quietly.

"I have an engagement at 2000 hours. I will be back before midnight."

Stuvak looked up from his notes and regarded his companion with curiosity. "Does this engagement involve that human girl you've been tutoring?"

"If you must know, it does. I am studying her."

His friend nodded. "She seemed very easy to provoke two weeks ago."

"True. I have noticed that approximately every 28 days, for about a week she is more volatile than usual..."

He paused, then shook his head and reviewed his notes for the class.

…

The beach was cool and breezy, and the waves crashed and sighed, filling the silence that hung between the Vulcan and the woman. Roxanne seemed agreeable to the sea environment; she had kicked off her shoes at the fire he had made, and although the water was cold, she kicked up the seafoam and dug her toes into the sand.

"Are you cold?" she asked when she saw how tightly he was holding his hands behind his back.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

She shivered. "Yeah, let's go back to the fire."

The driftwood burned bright, snapping and crackling. Roxanne sat on the blanket spread over the sand, and he sat cross-legged beside her.

"Chapter 40," he said quietly, glancing over his PADD. Roxanne did the same, and they began to review. She was acutely aware of the fact that he was sitting closer to her than usual, and she glanced discreetly toward him, noticing that the firelight was reflected in his pale gray eyes. He looked up and stared at her, his eyes glinting as she blushed and looked back down at her PADD.

He questioned her over the material, and he had to concede that she was catching on much faster these days. When he felt she was significantly prepared for Monday's review, he set aside the PADD and faced her in earnest.

"Perhaps it is very late to be asking this, but why do you find Calculus so difficult?"

"I'm not very good at math. Regular Calculus was fine, but this advanced stuff spins my head right 'round."

He frowned. "How can-"

"It's an expression." To his surprise, she wasn't snapping at him like she was often prone to. He frowned slightly, then glanced up at the night sky. The stars were bright and clear tonight as the beach he had chosen was a good distance from the lights of the city, yet one could still see the lights of the Bay twinkling in the water.

"Look up," he said softly, pointing to the stars. She obeyed, and her expression relaxed, but her eyes widened.

"How do you feel?" he asked softly after a while, his voice barely above a whisper.

She smiled wryly. "Small."

He smirked and watched her watch the stars. The moon was barely waxing, rising as a sliver in the east. She noticed the satellite slowly moving toward its zenith.

"Vulcan doesn't have a moon, does it?"

"No," he replied, gazing at the fire. "But our sister planet T'Khut is often mistaken for one."

They were silent for several minutes, and though Solok felt no discomfort in the silence, Roxanne felt an overwhelming urge to keep the conversation going.

"Tell me about your family," she said quietly, relieved to have found another topic of discussion. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I have a sister. She is completing her license to teach."

"To teach what?"

"Physics. My father also teaches it, at the Vulcan Science Academy."

"That's nice. I have a brother, and that's it."

"What does your brother do?"

"He enlisted in the service as a security officer."

Another period of silence passed, then Solok turned to her.

"So why aren't you in a romantic relationship?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Did you see my Calculus grade at the beginning of the semester?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "It has improved dramatically."

"Yes, and in order for that to happen, I had to put in countless hours with you and your friends. In essence, I didn't have time for a relationship. I'm thinking I still don't, not for a while anyway."

He tilted his head. "I see."

She frowned at him. "Why do you want to know? Don't tell me you want to study human romantic relationships too."

He paused. "I do."

She laughed. "Find somebody else. I'm chronically single and loving it."

"Don't you intend to get married and start a family? Every female of your species seems to have that goal."

"Isn't generalization a flaw in logic?"

He narrowed his eyes and smirked. "What would you know of logic?"

She laughed again. "More than you think, Solok."

"You are very emotional. I have rarely seen a human be as rational as a Vulcan."

Her giggles became mischievous, dark, low. "But you have seen us be rational."

His eyes narrowed, and the sound of her low giggles made that warmth in his chest return. "As I stated, that is rare."

She continued to giggle. "Is that irritation I hear?"

"You are mistaken."

"Maybe all this time with me has corrupted you." Roxanne was grinning and snickering, her hand in front of her mouth in a futile attempt to stop the noises of amusement.

His expression became somber. "That's very possible," he breathed, but she had turned her attention toward the fire and hadn't heard him. She thought he hadn't responded, and turned back to him.

"Solok? I was kidding, you know that." She almost sounded concerned.

He frowned. "A minute ago, you looked ready to explode into a tirade of emotionalism. Yet now you are concerned for me. I do not understand."

She shook her head. "I'm a human woman. Get used to it."

Another shorter period of silence fell. She breathed in deep. "You know I only tease you because I know it won't have any effect on you. I can't hurt you."

"Hardly."

She grinned. "Back to normal then, hm?"

He paused. "You fear hurting me?"

"Hell no...should I?"

"Of course not. Where there is no emotion, there can be no offense or hurt."

"But don't you find emotions offensive?" she pressed.

"They are distasteful. Ms. Hartman, I have noticed you seem to take a perverse pleasure in taunting me."

"I could say the same. In fact, you've done little more than tease me since we met."

"I am simply studying you and your emotional reactions. There is still much to learn."

"Such as?"

He stared at her a moment, his gray eyes twinkling. She gulped.

"Do you take pleasure in taunting me?" he murmured, tilting his head to one side.

She suddenly felt reckless and bold, and she grinned and leaned a little closer, her green eyes flashing.

"You bet your pointed ears."

His eyes grew dark, and when she noticed, she made to lean away and look in any other direction. But before she could move, warm fingers lifted her chin and hot lips sealed over hers.

She made a noise in protest, but he tugged her closer and wrapped an arm around her waist, and his fingers began exploring her jawline and neck. The first thought that came to her was that his lips might burn her; the second was that he tasted like a spice she couldn't identify, but that it was sweet and smoky. Finally, she came to her senses and realized that Solok of Vulcan was kissing her on a deserted beach...and he was really good at it. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them a sliver. He was still kissing her, gaining momentum now that she wasn't protesting anymore.

After several minutes, he pulled away and stared at her, the look in his eyes almost gleeful. The roar and sigh of the waves came crashing back to her, and her eyes grew wide. She scrambled to her feet before he could stop her, but he followed her as she quickly put distance between herself and the fire, between herself and him.

She stared out over the Bay, suddenly feeling very cold. She crossed her arms over her chest, then closed her eyes when she felt a warm chest press lightly to her back.

"I thought you enjoyed it," Solok murmured in her ear. She shivered.

"I didn't. You're a jerk," she insisted.

He smirked. "Perhaps. Insult me all you wish, but I know that brought you pleasure."

She spun around and faced him, her eyes blazing. "Why?"

"I do not understand."

"Why did you kiss me? I thought you hated me! Or is this another experiment?"

He was silent for a moment, his eyes somber. "It is, a highly personal one."

Her eyes narrowed. "I won't be used in another one of your games, Solok." She turned and stomped off, but he pursued her, catching her wrist and spinning her around to face him again.

"I would never use you like that, Roxanne," he said firmly, drawing her close once more. "I find you intriguing. I should be disgusted by your emotionalism, yet I am further fascinated each passing day. I came here to satisfy my curiosity."

"And are you satisfied?" Her breathing had quickened when he pressed her to him, but it settled now, and her voice was cold.

"No," he said quietly. "I am not satisfied. I want to know more."

He could feel her heartbeat pounding in her chest, and her eyes blew wide again; her pink lips parted and her face became flushed.

"How much more?" she squeaked. He smiled to himself, thinking she would not have asked if there was no hope for him to succeed.

"I do not know. I wish to find out, if you will assist me."

She closed her mouth and set her jaw, then relaxed and sighed heavily. "Some other time, maybe. I need time to think this through."

He nodded, but did not let her go. He tilted his head and kissed her before she could move, and after a reluctant pause, she relented to him, even gripping his shoulder for support. She gasped into his mouth when he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He slowly walked back to the fire and deposited her on the blanket, finally pulling away and packing his things. She frowned at him.

"That's it?"

He turned to her. "You said you needed time to think. I will respect that."

"And yet you turn around and kiss me, then sweep me off my feet, and...you are so confusing."

She turned away and gazed at the fire, and he sat down beside her. He watched her for a minute, then lightly traced her neck down her shoulder. He was rewarded with a shiver, but her jaw was tight again.

"Are you playing with me?" she hissed. He leaned forward and kissed her neck, and she gasped loudly.

"If you enjoy it so much, perhaps I should play with you more often," he murmured, and he could almost see her melting into him. She leaned her neck away, giving him access, and he took the opportunity, wrapping his arms around her and working at her neck with open-mouthed kisses. Her nails were digging into his thighs, and he twisted her around and captured her mouth with another kiss. He did not release her for a long time, not before the fire had been reduced to glowing embers and the moon was almost directly above them.

She pulled away with a gasp, but did nothing but gape at him until he spoke.

"We should return," he said softly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "There is still curfew to acknowledge, unless you wish to sleep here with me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Of course not."

Though her eyes were hard, her voice was not. He was pleased to hear that she was breathless and trying to hide it.

"Let's go," she croaked, jumping to her feet and busying herself with her things. Solok saw to the fire, which was little more than embers and ash now, then folded the blanket and led her back to the aircar.

"You will not mention this to anyone, or I swear something horrible will happen to you," she whispered when he landed in front of the gate. He smirked.

"Our secret is safe with me," he said softly, and she narrowed her eyes with a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"Our secret. Even though we have relentlessly teased and tormented each other for the past two months, we still find each other inexplicably attractive."

"I don't find you attractive!"

"Then why did you let me kiss you a second time? A third time? For as long as I did without forcing me to stop? Had you wanted, I would have ended it."

She blushed, and he raised an eyebrow. She frowned and looked down, then gaped at him again.

"You...you find me...you are so damn confusing."

He smirked. "I look forward to seeing you on Monday, Roxanne."

"Yeah, see you...and thanks, I guess."

She made to exit the car, but he took her wrist. She stopped and turned to him, and he leaned forward and gave her a brief, light kiss on the lips before pulling away and moving toward her ear.

"Thank you for tonight, Roxanne," he whispered to her.

"Why are you thanking me?" she breathed.

"Because I too derived immense pleasure from your human ritual of kissing. I found it incredibly gratifying, especially with you as my partner."

He leaned back and saw that she was blushing furiously, and she nodded and gave him a wan smile before leaving him alone again. He sighed to himself and watched her disappear into the darkness of campus, and he closed his eyes, certain he could still taste her on his lips.

…

Monday came, and the two of them settled into their seats, each one ignoring the other. The class passed slowly, each minute feeling like a lifetime, at least for Roxanne. She was acutely aware of him, of his hand moving over the PADD as he took notes, of his eyes flicking back and forth between his notes and the instructor, of his leg, which seemed inches from hers. She found him and the thoughts of last Friday night to be distracting, and she didn't hear a word of the review. The class finally let out, and she would have fled from the room if Solok had not called her name, asking her to stay.

"I know you did not take notes today," he said quietly, handing her his PADD. "Copy them and return them to me by this afternoon. The final is next Monday, and I will not see all our hard work go to waste over our...I would like to do a final review with you before the test, perhaps Friday."

"If we're doing a final review, then won't that take a while?"

"Yes. Can we meet in the evening?"

"Can we discuss this some other time? I need to get to class."

He stared at her. "Meet me this afternoon. The tree you like to sit under."

She nodded. "Thanks for the notes. I'll have them to you by then."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room as fast as she dared.

…

Roxanne copied the notes and ate lunch quickly, then set off toward the tree where she said she would meet Solok. She groaned to herself when she saw Sisko sitting underneath it already, reading a PADD. This wouldn't do; Sisko and Solok hated each other, and it wouldn't be good for her already high stress levels to have them meet again, with her in the middle. She had been thinking all morning and had come to the conclusion that, in a perverse kind of way, she really was attracted to Solok. She had to admit to herself that the Vulcan was rather handsome and was getting better at being civil. Just as she had told him, she liked teasing him, liked pushing his buttons as much as he enjoyed pushing hers. The expression 'arguing like an old married couple' came to mind during her second class, and the thought had made her heart stop. Well, at least their relationship was interesting.

"Roxanne!"

She closed her eyes. The fat was in the fire now, but she walked up to Benjamin with a small smile.

"How's your day going?" she asked quietly, taking a seat beside him.

"Oh, you know, all right. How are classes?"

She sighed. "Better, actually. But I'm ready for this semester to be over."

"How's that Calculus class coming along?"

"Much better."

He laughed at her curtness. "Am I going to meet this guy or what? It's like you're hiding him from me."

She snorted derisively. "Think what you want, Ben. The fact is, you don't know him, and I don't see any reason for you to meet him."

"I'd like to get to know him. He takes up half your week now."

"Yeah, as payment for me taking up his time with tutoring."

He laughed harder. "Oh, boy, don't tell me he's teaching you all about the birds and the bees."

"I tutor her in Calculus. I do not understand why I would teach her about fowls and insects."

Roxanne twisted around and paled at the sight of Solok standing behind her, a calm yet engaged expression on his face. She turned back to Benjamin, whose shocked gaze was flicking between Roxanne and the Vulcan. He put two and two together and glared at Solok.

"What the hell are you doing, messing with her? I punched you once, don't think I'm afraid to do it again!"

"Ben-"

"Did he force you to accept? Or have you gone completely around the bend?"

"Benjamin-"

"Seriously, what is going on? You two hang out? How do you stand him, Roxanne?"

"Benjamin Lafayette Sisko!"

The human shut his mouth and glared at Roxanne.

"Yes, Solok is my tutor, and yes, I spend time with him as payment for what he's doing, but you don't need to be sticking your nose in my business! He's saving my grade and my presence at the Academy, so drop the subject or go away."

Sisko was fuming. "I hope you come to your senses. I'm going to go talk to Sicily. Maybe she can get you to see reason."

"Ben, you don't even know what's going on. He's my tutor, nothing more."

"He's a jerk, Roxanne, and I don't mind saying it to his face, because he knows it's true. Look at him!"

She rolled her eyes and glanced at Solok, who was watching the scene with amusement sparkling in his eyes. She turned to Sisko.

"And you never told me?" Sisko continued, his voice quieter now. "We could have found you someone better than him."

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd overreact like this."

He shook his head. "Whatever. I'm going to go find Sicily."

"Don't bother, I already told her."

Sisko stared at her for a moment, then shook his head again and stomped off. Roxanne sighed, burying her face in her hands. Solok sat beside her and waited; it took him a moment to realize she was crying.

"Ms. Hartman?"

She let out a long breath. "I hate it when he gets mad like that." She hastily wiped her tears and turned to Solok with a wry smile. "You're getting quite a show today, aren't you? Him freaking out, me crying..."

She shook her head and sighed, drawing up her knees and resting her chin on them. "So, yeah, final review...my aunt has a vacation house not too far from here. We could meet there Friday night if you want."

"That would be acceptable, however..."

She turned to him. "What?"

"There is much to study, and much to review. I would like to observe you under...special conditions."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever gotten drunk before, Roxanne?"

She closed her eyes. "I am not getting drunk for you, no matter what you've done."

"Then I refuse to tutor you."

Her eyes snapped open. "You said Friday that-"

"I am aware of what I said, and that has not changed. However, I was under the impression that you did not want to have that sort of relationship with me. So I have decided that we should return to our normal acquaintance. I am not asking you to get extremely intoxicated, simply...I believe the human term is 'tipsy'."

"Tipsy," she repeated incredulously. "You want me tipsy."

"Correct."

She shook her head and closed her eyes again, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know, I said Friday that I needed time to think, not that..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Have you thought about my proposal?"

She sighed. "Ok...maybe I do find you attractive. But don't let it go to your head. It's just...I was telling the truth when I said I like to tease you. You're fun to tease."

He smirked. "I am pleased you were honest with me. But I still would like to study you under the influence of alcohol."

"Can Vulcans get drunk?"

He frowned slightly. "Not on alcohol."

She tilted her head. "Well, what do you get drunk on? Because the only way I'm getting drunk around you is if you get drunk too. That's my condition to this game you're playing."

He regarded her for a moment. The late autumn sun was shining in her hair, and her eyes were ablaze with life. He sighed slightly.

"As you wish."


	5. He's Persuasive, He's Seductive

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to 09sasha, ByaSouthernLady and dettaarsvenska for reviewing. *****wcv, please refrain from reading this chapter. Thank you!*******_

_**Warning: Adult matters (NC-17 rating or M rating) later on in the chapter. Don't like, don't read.**_

Solok glanced over the label of the wine bottle in his hands, wondering if Roxanne would like it. It was a sweet dessert wine made from the Muscat variety of grape, and apparently this wine had undertones of honey and apricot. He raised his eyebrow and thought his human companion would enjoy the taste, and went up to the counter to purchase it.

He then walked down the street to a candy shop and looked around for a suitable bar of chocolate. Knowing the effects the substance had on Vulcans, he had never tasted it, but he had often heard that dark chocolate was the best kind, so he bought a good-sized, hefty bar, had it wrapped in plain paper, then quickly left the store with his purchases. He then headed to the vacation house where Roxanne was to meet him, going over his strategy for the night.

It would take at least two glasses of wine to get Roxanne drunk, but he did not know how much chocolate it would take to get him in the same state. But sober or no, he would satisfy his curiosity over this human woman and be done with it. The memory of the taste of her lips had haunted him all week, and he reasoned that one good experiment would be enough and he could ban her from his mind forever. And he had a feeling Roxanne would be happy with that arrangement as well.

…

Roxanne had just finished sweeping the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door, and she went to answer it, smoothing her shirt as she went. Solok was at the door with a bottle of wine and something wrapped in brown butcher paper, but she didn't ask about it, suspecting Solok wouldn't be telling her what it was just yet. She took the bottle from him and invited him inside, and he quickly stepped over the threshold and snapped the door shut. Roxanne smirked, knowing it was chilly outside, despite it being winter in San Francisco, and she could understand why Solok wanted to be indoors as much as possible. Since their excursion at the beach, late November had brought on a cold front and some rain, and the vacation home in the hills was cool and damp today.

Solok hung his jacket on the coat rack and followed her to the kitchen, where they set down his purchases. Roxanne had already made herself at home, spreading her PADDs of notes over the table, with the textbook in prominent position in the middle. Solok took a seat at the table and set his bag beside him, then pulled out his things, and they began.

Though Solok easily managed to focus on the academic portion of his visit, Roxanne's attention kept straying to the bottle of wine on the other side of the table. But nevertheless, they accomplished a lot in the two hours they reviewed together, and she figured the rest of the weekend would be more than enough time to solidify what she had learned and study for her other finals. Academically, things were looking up, but the wine bottle was still sitting on the table, and Solok was putting away his notes.

Roxanne took a wine glass down from the cabinet, then led Solok to the couch in the living room. He opened the package and removed the wrapper, and Roxanne raised her eyebrows at the confection in his hands. She grinned.

"Is that...chocolate?"

He nodded.

"You get drunk on chocolate?" Her voice was dripping with incredulity.

"I believe I just confirmed that."

She poured herself a full glass of wine, and he broke off a piece of chocolate and brought it to his nose. There was a strange nutty undertone to the scent he recognized after a year of living on Earth.

"Set it on your tongue and let it melt," Roxanne said softly, inhaling the scent of her wine. "Huh...smells kind of like apricots."

"Then the label was accurate," he replied. She stared at him for a minute, and when he nodded, they both consumed their respective substances. Roxanne raised her eyebrows when she lowered the glass from her lips, and Solok moved the chocolate around in his mouth, savoring the smooth, creamy texture and the luxuriously sweet yet strangely bitter taste.

"How is it?" she asked him softly. His eyes were dark, and he breathed in a deep breath after he swallowed.

"Not what I expected," he said, taking another breath. "Is the wine satisfactory?"

"It's delicious," she murmured. She took another drink, and he placed another piece of chocolate on his tongue.

"Has Sisko become any more reasonable about your situation?" Solok asked after a period of silence.

"No," she said. "He's avoiding me."

"How does that make you feel?"

She shook her head. "The answer should be obvious."

He tilted his head. "You feel betrayed, perhaps?"

She nodded and bit her lip. "It really hurts."

Her honesty took him by surprise, and he pondered it as he ate another piece of chocolate. She was finished with her glass of wine, and after a knowing glance at him, she poured herself another.

Solok assessed himself and discovered that his thought were still clear and coherent, but more and more, they focused on the woman beside him on the couch. Roxanne's hair looked even more brilliant to his eyes now, as red as the sands of his home. The green of her eyes burned like his blood in fever, and the sound of her breathing was loud in his ears. He swallowed the chocolate in his mouth, and his senses became even keener.

Roxanne was approaching the tipsy point, as she was halfway through her third glass and finishing it quickly. A pleasant warmth was spreading through her veins, and her thoughts became slower. She could see Solok staring at her with dark, glassy eyes, and despite the warmth, she shivered.

"How do you feel?" he asked, his voice low, his gray eyes focused on her.

"Fine," she murmured. "Really good, actually." She smiled, and his eyes darkened further. "You?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but closed it when his nose was assaulted with an intoxicating aroma. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep. When he opened his eyes, he saw Roxanne frowning at him, a worried expression on her face.

"You ok?" she asked, her words slightly slurred.

He looked down to the piece of chocolate melting in his hand, and he slowly put it in his mouth. He was left with melted chocolate on his fingers, and he looked at her again.

"Do you have something I can use to wipe this off? A towel or a rag?"

She blinked. "Yeah, a washcloth. Hold on."

She slowly rose to her feet and set the wine glass on the table, then stumbled to the kitchen and got a washcloth out of the drawer. She came back to the living room and saw that Solok had been watching the door, and as she returned to her seat, she could feel his eyes on her, like a predator on his next meal. It made her already pink face turn red, and he noticed and smirked.

"I believe, Roxanne, that you have had enough."

She glanced at him. "Whatever you say," she sighed, resting her head on the back of the couch. She still had the washcloth in her hand, and she looked down at it, then handed it to him.

"Here," she murmured, and he wiped the chocolate from his fingers.

He waited a little while for her to sober up, then he started talking again.

"Why do you find the fact that I get intoxicated from chocolate to be so amusing?"

She stared at him. "You know chocolate is sort of an aphrodisiac for humans, don't you?" she said after a moment. There was no shame in her eyes, and he took that as a sign that her inhibitions were lowered, if not completely gone. A good sign.

"I was not aware of that. But I still do not understand why that is amusing."

Her eyes became brighter as she smiled. "It's funny because you're getting drunk on one of the most sexual foods in our culture."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you find that...amusing?"

Her gaze became dark and mischievous, and she leaned forward. He was immediately reminded of last week, of the taste of her lips and the feel of her hair.

"Yes, I find that amusing," she whispered, her eyes growing dark like his. He breathed in slowly.

He assessed himself again to distract himself from her beautiful eyes, and he discovered that his senses were not only keen, they were focused. Nothing else computed for him except for her, the sight of her red hair, the sound of her breathing and the sound of her voice, which was lower than usual. The memory of the taste of her lips was clear in his mind, and he also recalled the feel of her skin beneath his lips, the soft smoothness and the salty taste.

And he realized then that the intoxicating, wonderful scent he was breathing in was coming from her. He gently took her wrist and slowly pulled her forward, and she took the hint and scooted closer. They were less than a foot apart now, and her scent was stronger. It filled his nose, made his skin tingle and sent fire racing through his blood.

"Well, Solok, I'm drunk. Where are your insults?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

She giggled. "Come on, Solok, you came here to study me drunk. I'm drunk. Why aren't you provoking me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "There's been a change of plans."

"Meaning?"

"I'm not here to provoke you."

She frowned. "Then what are you here for?"

He almost smiled as he reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Something far more pleasant."

The heat of his fingertips made her gasp, and she bit her lip. "You're being cryptic," she said, her voice soft and low. "Why are you here?"

He leaned forward and touched his finger to her lips. "I am here, Roxanne, to satisfy my curiosity."

It took her several seconds to digest this and come up with his meaning, and when it finally hit her, her eyes widened and her pink lips parted slightly. He leaned further in and smirked at her.

"You said you find me attractive, Roxanne. At the moment, I do not think I have been so drawn to a woman before."

She blushed, and he stroked her reddening cheeks and ran a careful hand over her hair. "So," he continued, "it is logical to act on these urgings. We have acknowledged our mutual attraction, and the next step is to satisfy our curiosity. Do not tell me you are not curious. You did not protest when I kissed you, and I do not think you will protest tonight, should I act...when I act."

She closed her eyes, and he breathed in, finding that her scent was becoming overwhelming. Although he prided himself on his control, it was becoming extremely difficult to stop his hands from stroking her skin and combing through her hair.

Her eyes narrowed and she grinned. "Having a hard time maintaining control, Solok?"

He glared at her; perhaps she wasn't as drunk as he initially thought. But it was too late to turn back now. Her scent was ingrained in his mind, and he wanted more of it, more of her.

He lightly traced her neck with a careful finger, and she shivered.

"Why don't we satisfy our curiosity? Are you willing to explore with me?"

Her eyes grew dark, but the fact remained that she was getting a little more sober, and more defiant. "You'll have to do better than that to get me in bed with you."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can do much better. It appears I will have to seduce you."

Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

He jerked her forward and lightly ran his tongue around the outer shell of her ear. "When it comes to you, Roxanne," he whispered, "there are many things I would dare to do, that I am more than willing to do."

He smirked in satisfaction as she shivered in his arms, and he lightly kissed her neck down to her collarbone. He worked against the sensitive skin of her neck, swirling his tongue over her warm, peachy flesh. She slowly relented to him, melting beneath his lengthy, sensuous kisses.

Finally, he pulled away and looked into her eyes, and he was pleased to see they were clouded with desire. So far, his plan was working perfectly.

With a simple push, he shoved her onto her back, and he leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to hers, teasingly running his tongue over her lips. She moaned into his mouth despite herself, and after another moan from her, he pressed her lips more firmly, forcing his tongue into her mouth and exploring her, teasing her. She gasped and tried to pull away, and he let her go.

She stared at him with wide, glassy eyes, and he thought she might insist that he leave, but she caught him off guard when she shoved him down and landed on top of him. She leaned in close.

"Not fair," she whispered, her voice low and breathy. "My turn."

He raised an eyebrow and breathed in through his nose even as she captured his lips with hers and began kissing him furiously. She moved her lips in strong, quick movements, each one laden with passion and hunger. It surprised him, and he closed his eyes and grasped the back of her head, pressing her to him and reciprocating with all the desire the chocolate was bringing out of him. She tasted like apricots and honey; her lips were saturated with the taste. But then, his taste buds must have been affected because he could distinctly taste the salt on her skin when he had kissed her neck. A noise like a purr escaped her lips, and she sheathed her fingers through his hair, casting it into disarray. She pulled back to gauge his reaction, and she discovered that his eyes were dark with lust. She grinned.

Though he was in no position to force her onto her back, he locked her arms with his and tugged her back down, biting her lip and invading her mouth with a warm, urgent tongue. She gasped at his sudden action and relaxed into him, pressing her pelvis to his, making that unfamiliar warmth spread from his gut to his chest, making his fingertips tingle with desire. He stroked his fingers over her back, then retracted his hand so he could tug her zipper down and remove her jacket. He flung it over the back of the couch, mindful that there was still a glass of wine and a bottle on the coffee table.

She was only wearing a thin shirt under the jacket, and he rubbed the hem between his fingers.

"Do you have any particular attachment to this shirt?"

"No," she murmured, then dove down and pulled his lips into another lingering kiss. "Why do you ask?"

He smirked, then ripped her shirt off her body as easily as she would have torn a piece of paper. He flung it after the jacket and took advantage of her new state to explore her bare skin.

"Still not fair," she groaned as his fingers dug into her skin with enough force to bruise. "You're not losing clothes."

He pushed her up until they were both kneeling, and he took off his shirt and added it to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. Her eyes roamed over his shirtless body, and he smirked again when he saw her eyes darken in approval. He was lean and muscular, with a defined abdomen and strong arms, and his skin was smooth and firm and hairless. She reached out and stroked her hand down his chest, and he glanced up at her.

Taking advantage of her distraction, he captured both of her hands in his and shoved her down, firmly pinning her hands above her head. He leaned down and gave her neck a sensuous, open-mouthed kiss, then he touched his lips to her ear.

"Are you forgetting that _I'm_ the one seducing _you_?" he purred, caressing her wrist with the hand that held her down. She was panting now, whether in panic or arousal he wasn't sure, but judging by the moan that escaped her at his question, he assumed the latter. He pulled away and gazed down at her, taking a moment to appreciate her form just as she had admired his. Her body was slender with subtle curves, and he traced a finger down her sides, admiring the subtle dip at her waist. She shivered.

"Do you want to move somewhere else?" she asked with a knowing glance. He leaned forward until he was inches above her face.

"I'm not done seducing you," he whispered, touching his lips lightly to hers before increasing his force and pulling her into another hungry kiss. She groaned.

"Don't bother. You can explore, but there's no way I'm going all the way with you."

He pulled back again and looked down at her. Her eyes were dark, less glassy and wide as she took in his triumphant expression, and her chest rose and fell with every breath she took. Her cheeks were flushed and her soft lips were parted slightly. He let her hands go, then pressed his to the couch on either side of her head, pinning her in. He leaned down.

"Remember what I said, Roxanne?" he murmured. "I came here to satisfy my curiosity, and I have decided my curiosity goes far beyond exploration. I want all of you, and I will do everything I can to get it. And when I get it, I will make sure that you want me as badly, that you take that step with me with as much enthusiasm and passion as your species claims in these matters."

Despite herself, she squeezed her legs together against the flood of arousal that invaded at his words. Her action didn't go unnoticed, and he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Do my words...intrigue you?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You're very good at talking. I'm still not convinced you're good at doing what you say."

He tilted his head, then pulled her up and twisted her around so that she was facing away from him. He pinned her arms behind her back and set his lips over her neck.

"I think I can convince you that I'm very good at doing what I say."

She gasped loudly as he traced a line with his tongue from her hairline to the top of her spine and back again. He smirked in triumph and leaned her forward, running his tongue further and further down, licking her skin and brushing his lips along her spine. By the time he reached her lower back, she was panting again, and he tugged her back up and set his lips over her neck again. He scraped his teeth over the sensitive flesh, sucking and licking at her, and he could feel her resolve weakening. He moved to her shoulders, seemingly playing connect-the-dots with the freckles scattered over her skin.

He released her hands and moved back to her neck, and as lightly and as gently as he could, he traced circles with his tongue over her skin. His hands rested on her shoulders, then moved slowly down her torso, over her breasts and her abdomen, down to the hem of her pants, and he toyed with it as he continued his work at her neck. She was leaning her head away from him now, giving him more access to her skin, and he gently bit her, causing her to gasp. His tongue continued its work, and she gasped whenever the tingling sensation became too much to bear.

"So," he murmured, "am I good at doing what I say?"

"You're good at kissing my neck," she breathed in reply, moaning as he gently bit her again.

"I'm ready to move on to more...sensual matters," he said, slipping his warm fingers just beneath the hem of her pants. "Are you?"

She moaned, and he twisted her around and captured her lips in a hungry, bruising kiss. He nipped at her lips with his teeth and pressed his hand against the small of her back. She whimpered.

"Where's the bedroom?" he growled. He heard rustling, and he pulled away enough to see her hand pointing vaguely to the hallway behind her.

"Last door...on the left," she said, sounding breathless. His lips twitched upward in triumph, and without releasing her from his demanding lips, he worked his arms under her and picked her up with ease, then carried her to the bedroom.

He set her on her feet next to the bed and ran his finger underneath the hem of her bra all the way to the clasp in the back, and he finally released her from the kiss, wanting to see her reaction. Her eyes had clouded again, and they widened as he quirked an eyebrow and pinched the clasp between his fingers. The bra fell to the floor, and one hand pressed her gently to him, his thumb caressing the small of her back, and his other hand drifted up to palm the hefty alabaster globes now freed from support. She gasped as an intense tingling sensation like an electric shock washed over her, and she tore herself away from his eyes long enough to see that his fingers were toying with the hard pink nubs on her breasts. He rolled them beneath his fingers, and she bucked against him, pressing her groin urgently to his, her eyes closing of their own accord.

"Solok..." she moaned, gripping his shoulders tightly lest she fall. He pinched her harder at that, the chemicals from the chocolate rushing faster in his blood, and he could feel the flames rising inside him, making his fingertips almost crackle with electricity, making his blood hot with fever. She moaned louder, and her eyes opened. They were darker, hungrier, cloudier than before. He growled and claimed her lips before she could make another move.

"Roxanne," he whispered against her lips. "There's no use in turning back now. I _will_ take you tonight."

He tugged on the zipper of her pants and ripped them off her body before she could even process his words. With a more forceful push, she was on her back, sprawled across the bed, and he tore off his pants and was on top of her in an instant. She groaned and sheathed her fingers through his hair as his hot mouth found the heavy alabaster globes, and she arched her back, pushing her breasts further into his mouth. His tongue traced a precise line around the hard pink nub, and he nipped it lightly with his teeth. A soft, desperate cry escaped her lips, and she tugged his hair and pressed his head more firmly to her chest.

He pulled away and looked up at her face, and her eyes were squeezed shut and she was biting her lip. He crawled back up level to her face and gazed down at her, smirking in triumph at the red marks on her neck, and he listened to her panting, fascinated by the plump pink lips beneath him, slightly parted and glistening slightly in the dim light, her upper lip beaded with sweat. He stroked his hand down her side, fingering each rib and eventually settling at her hip. Her eyes slowly opened, and her green irises pierced him. He dug his fingers into the soft, luscious flesh of her thigh.

One of her dark red eyebrows rose at the sight of him hovering above her, his gray eyes alight with fire, staring at her like a slab of meat, studying her neck as if looking for a suitable place to sink his teeth. She grinned and chuckled.

"Ok, I'll admit, you're better than I thought," she whispered breathlessly. He leaned down, his eyes fixed on hers.

"This is only the beginning," he breathed, raising an eyebrow as her eyes darkened further. She chewed her bottom lip and eyed him openly with lust, and he pressed his hot palm to the outside of her hip. He slowly slid her underwear down her legs and tossed them aside, then lightly pressed two fingers to the apex of her thighs and began tracing circles. Wetness tickled his fingertips, and he smirked, pleased that he was succeeding. She convulsed, her legs parting of their own accord, and he slipped his two fingers into her. She gasped.

The texture of the warm, wet tissues fascinated him, and he stroked her, swirling his fingers around. He kept a steady rhythm, pulling his fingers out and thrusting them back in. She was moaning uncontrollably now, her lids heavy, half-closed, and he watched in growing arousal as she writhed and whimpered beneath him, pressing herself to his hand, silently demanding that he give more. He quirked an eyebrow at her and increased his force, and her breathing became a harsh pant, her moans became airy cries. Then, with a great gasp and an arch of her back, wetness spilled over his fingers, and he pulled away.

She was breathing heavily, and he gave her a moment, lightly kissing her neck and shoulders while she recovered. He laid down on his side next to her and stroked his fingers over her body.

"I must admit, that was quite fascinating. You claim to be enthusiastic about intimacy, and I can see now you were not lying."

She turned her head and smirked at him, then sat up, pushed him onto his back and straddled him before he could go on. His lips twitched upward and he decided to humor her. She leaned forward and lightly touched his lips with hers.

"You haven't seen enthusiastic," she murmured, glancing up into his eyes. He breathed in slowly to stop himself from shivering.

She glanced down at his neck and traced a finger over its outline, contemplating it with the strangest expression on her face, like she wanted to sink her teeth into his throat. She leaned down and licked at the hollow of his throat, and he reared his head back and closed his eyes. The warmth in his chest was spreading like wildfire, and the tips of his ears were warmer than usual. She pulled back and noticed the olive flush, and she grinned, leaning down to lick at the delicate points of his ears. He breathed in sharply.

"You like that, don't you?" she purred, tracing her tongue around the outer shell of his ear. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them, staring at the ceiling. His fingertips were tingling, itching, but he clenched his fists, determined not to let her be in control. But he was fighting a losing battle, and when she lightly bit the junction of his neck and shoulder, he couldn't suppress his surprised gasp. Roxanne simply grinned and moved down his body, licking at his collarbone and kissing his breastbone. He breathed in slowly to control himself before speaking.

"This is really unnecessary. I doubt you can do much to arouse-"

He gasped as she nipped at the dark green nipples on his chest. She raised her head and smirked at him.

"You were saying?"

He leaned his head back into the pillows and focused on her warm, wet tongue drawing lines over his skin, but when he felt his underwear go down his legs, he shot up and stared at her. She was staring at him in fascination, and he felt the flush return to his cheeks. She glanced up and pouted her lips at him, and he frowned in confusion. She leaned forward.

"Can I try something?"

He swallowed. "What did you have in mind?"

She leaned even closer and touched her lips to his, then lowered her head down to his lap.

His eyes closed slowly, and his hand drifted to her hair; he entwined her locks between his fingers. Her lips were soft and her tongue...His thoughts had been so focused, and now they were honed in on her, on her skillful mouth, on the waves of intense pleasure that were rippling through his body. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, and the sensations were deliciously overwhelming. He did not anticipate _this _much enthusiasm from her, and he found this response to be illogical. But his mind did not care about logic. Something in him broke, finally gave way to all that the chocolate was drawing from him, and from his lips escaped a beastly growl. He gripped her hair tighter and gazed lustily down at her head moving back and forth, and he pushed and pulled, tugged her hair and directed her with ease. When she used her teeth against him, the flames washed over him, and he let go of her hair and dug his fingernails into her back, then dragged them up toward her neck, drawing blood as he went. Finally, with a barbaric groan of approval, he felt release.

He was breathing harder now, not panting as she had done. He had maintained that amount of control over himself. She raised her head, licked her lips and swallowed, and he stared at her, transfixed by the sight of her esophagus contracting behind the pearly skin of her throat. His gray eyes found green, and he shook his head, dazed.

"Why?"

She laughed, sending a fresh wave of shivers down his spine, and she leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"Well, for one, it was worth it just to see the look on your face. Just think of it as payment for all you've done for me."

He shook his head again. "I cannot let you get away with that."

She frowned, and his shocked expression faded back to one of hunger and triumph. He pinned her down before she could blink, and he forcefully shoved her legs wide. Starting at her belly button, he slowly, painstakingly licked down her body, past the rebellious red curls that skimmed the apex of her thighs, right down to where his fingers had been earlier.

"Solok..."

He was not prepared for the sound of his name to be spoken with such desperation and need. The flames burned at his fingertips, at the apex of his thighs, in his very mind. He plunged his tongue into her, licking, probing, stabbing, swirling, relishing her saccharine taste. His fingertips dug into the warm flesh of her thighs with enough force to bruise, and her scent was overwhelming him, calling for his primitive, animalistic side to come out and play. He hummed against her, and she cried out, twisting into him for more. Even as he tasted her release, he continued his onslaught, devouring her, letting her feel his hunger. A second time she screamed out his name and he licked at her secretions, and finally he pulled away and stared down at her panting body.

Her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were closed. Her expression was one of ecstasy, and the depths of his gut stirred at the thought that he had put that expression on her face. He touched her lips gently, almost reverently, and she opened her eyes.

She grinned at him. "I take it back...you're _really _good at doing what you say."

He lightly brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm pleased you think so. But I'm not done with you."

Her eyes darkened again, and pressed against her, he could feel her arousal coming back. He dove for her neck, licking and kissing and biting her until several whimpers escaped her lips. He smirked into the skin of her neck.

"You've been a very good student," he whispered, "and you really are an exquisite creature. Are you ready to complete this?"

He pulled back and looked down at her: she had her arm bent over her head, and she was staring at him with half-hooded eyes. It was a very sensuous, seductive pose, and she smirked at the look on his face. She traced a line down his chest.

"You say you want me," she purred. "So show me."

His eyes darkened and he leaned forward until their lips were almost touching. "I accept your challenge, Roxanne."

He lifted her hips, caressing the warm flesh as he went, and he stared down at her hungry expression with satisfaction. His curiosity was far from satisfied, his hunger far from satiated. Just as he had told her, he would have all of her for himself, and he had even succeeded in making her want him as much as he craved her. He allowed himself a small smile, then took her with a swift, strong thrust.

The look in her eyes surprised him, and as he buried himself deep within her, he examined the pure, exposed emotions in her gaze. There was hunger, yes, but also surprise, and the most endearing expression of admiration bordering on adoration. She was right; he hadn't seen enthusiasm from her, not in its full strength. She moaned and bucked against him, gripping his hips with arousing ardor, as if she were showing him the full extent of human craving. He could feel the hunger, the lust in every move she made, and he slowly began to lose himself with her, focused on the feel of her surrounding him. He moaned despite himself.

He bowed his head to look at her, his back slightly arched, and their eyes were locked on each other. His exact, black hair was in disarray, and Roxanne thought it made him look wild. He moved with fervor, with passion she would have never expected from him, and she caressed his strong thighs. They thrust as one, the flames burning their flesh, flushing them both with fever. This was not _pon farr_, he reminded himself. It was ecstasy, Hades ravishing his captured bride, Persephone writhing in the arms of her god.

Three times they shattered together, and by the time he finally pulled away, her voice was hoarse, her throat sore. But he tugged the covers up around their shoulders, pulled her closer to himself and held her as they both laid there, panting. They had been at each other for two hours, trying to outdo each other, topping one's passion with a more fervent lust until the other replied with a more desperate need. Solok was tired, but Roxanne was exhausted, her head limp against his chest, but he smiled slightly, brushing her hair behind her ear, and he gave her one last gentle kiss on the lips.

"Good night, Roxanne," he whispered. "Thank you."

He collapsed into the pillow and fell into a dreamless sleep, the last of his energy finally spent.


	6. And He Can't Just Walk Away

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Dettaarsvenska, thank you so much for reviewing. **_

_**09sasha, as I've said, college is hectic. ByaSouthernLady, wow, two reviews! Thanks for the feedback, and I'm glad you noticed that the chapters rhyme. T'Sara, glad you liked. wcv, thank you so much for your input.**_

Solok awoke to the sound of birds singing and sunlight streaming through the thin curtains. The light hurt his eyes for a moment before his inner eyelid closed, and the painful sensation in his head subsided. He became aware of something cooler than his skin, yet still warm, pressed to his abdomen. His arm was draped over something soft and supple, and when he opened his eyes, he saw rebellious red waves of hair spread out over the pillow.

It occurred to him that he was naked, and that Roxanne was naked, and she was firmly pressed to his body, a contented grin lifting the corners of her mouth upward. Everything came flooding back: the chocolate, the wine, his seduction on the couch, the two of them in here...

He closed his eyes again and breathed deeply, and apparently a little chocolate was still in his system, because the smell of her was strong and sweet. Now that he was more in control of his faculties, he realized he recognized her scent from somewhere, but he couldn't place it at the moment. But he did bury his nose into her hair and breathe in, relishing her warm, spicy scent as it flooded his sinuses.

He heard her breathe in a deeper breath, and he lifted his head to see her eyes slowly open, then quickly snap shut again. He laid his head down on the pillow and traced a finger over her slender curves, and she groaned.

"Tell me it was a dream," she whispered, burying her head deeper into the pillow.

"That what was a dream?"

"The drinking and...you ate chocolate?"

"That was not a dream."

She sighed. "What about the kissing?"

"That too was reality."

She almost sounded desperate as she breathed her response. "And...did we...you know...um..."

"Engage in sexual intercourse?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "That."

"Yes," he murmured back, lightly pushing down on her shoulder so she was flat on her back. She looked horrified, but mostly embarrassed and guilty. But those emotions were quickly hidden and replaced by anger and incredulity, but he simply cocked an eyebrow and sat up so he was kneeling.

"You don't believe me," he muttered, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I didn't think you'd go this far, Solok. You had me fooled for a moment, but-"

She gasped as she sat up, and she clutched her abdomen and whimpered.

"Now do you remember?" he said softly.

She said nothing, simply clutched one hand to her gut and pinched her nosebridge with the other.

"What the hell did you do to me last night?" she hissed.

He smirked. "Are you sure you want to know?"

She whimpered. "I haven't felt like this since...just tell me what happened."

He raised an eyebrow. "You were intoxicated, but I distinctly recall three instances of oral intercourse and three times-"

"Take me now, Lord," she moaned. There was a long pause. "So I was drunk?"

"Yes."

"And did you enjoy observing the slutty side of the human race?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, then slipped off the bed and lifted her in his arms before she could say another word.

"Where is the shower?" he asked calmly.

"What are you doing, you...put me down!"

He found the door to the bathroom on the opposite wall to the bed, and he shouldered his way into the room and set her on her feet in the shower. She stood there with her arms crossed defiantly over her breasts, not realizing that she making her cleavage much more noticeable. He tore his eyes from the arresting sight and started the unit, and she gasped as the water soaked her skin.

"You are not a slut, Roxanne," he said coldly, turning toward the cabinets to find her a towel. "It displeases me that you think of yourself in such a derogatory manner."

He turned and noted that her eyes were fixed on his eyes, as if she were afraid to let them drift further downward. He then remembered that he too was naked, and yet the thought of that did not shame him. He decided he would examine all of this later, and for Roxanne's sake, he grabbed another towel off the shelf and wrapped it around his waist.

"Are you hungry?" he inquired, his tone slightly warmer. She turned away and nodded.

"I took the liberty of bringing a remedy for hangovers in the event that you needed it. However, it did not occur to me to bring a pain reliever. I could, of course, fetch you one-"

"Something for this headache will do, thanks," she said quickly. "Now could you please leave? I'm still naked here, you know!"

"I've noticed," he purred, quirking an eyebrow at her and relishing the pink blush that spread over the smooth planes of her cheeks. He also noticed a bruise right above her left breast that looked suspiciously like a bite mark, and he swallowed thickly, turning away quickly and leaving her to bathe.

As he dressed himself (he had had the foresight to bring a change of clothes, anticipating some sort of victory), he realized he had been deeply conflicted when he noticed the mark on her skin. The deep, primitive side of him was roaring in triumph, and in that moment, when his eyes had fixed themselves on that mark, the emotions buried away in the darkest recesses of his mind had cracked his resolve, urging him to jump into the shower unit with her and take her on the shower floor, consequences be damned. But the more rational side of him was perturbed that he had marked her. He was still bonded, though he had known throughout his engagement to T'Kara that their bond was weak, that she did not want him, and he had never wanted her.

But Roxanne...

He sat down at the kitchen table after ordering breakfast and tea from the small replicator in the corner, and he tried to take his mind off last night and Roxanne by reviewing his notes for the fifteenth time, but there was no need for him to review, and thoughts of their encounters the night before were shoving their way to the forefront of his mind.

Finally, he gave in with a slight sigh, setting down his notes and closing his eyes, his hands folded, his forefingers and thumbs aligned, and he turned his thoughts to the frenzied, passionate, almost violent lovemaking of the previous evening. Just the memories of his time with Roxanne was making his blood roil in his veins all over again, and he squeezed his eyes closed tighter and took a breath to calm himself. He remembered almost everything: the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips, the taste of her neck on his tongue, the sound of her desperate moans, the warmth of her emissions spilling over his hand, drenching his palm with her essence, her skillful lips and tongue, the tight warmth of-

He forced himself to stop lest he charge the bathroom door and drag her to the bedroom to have another few rounds with her, and he sighed again and sipped his tea. He could hear the shower unit turn off and the bathroom door open, and several minutes later, Roxanne stumbled into the kitchen, her hair damp and her clothes clean, and the smell of cleanliness followed her into the room.

Solok handed her the hypospray with the hangover remedy already loaded into it, and she took it with a curt nod. She avoided his pointed stares and rushed to the cabinet to find something, and he took another sip of tea as she prepared toast for herself with fresh bread.

"I assume you have been to the market recently?" he asked casually, watching her spread butter on the slice of toast in her hand.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice unconvincingly neutral. "I went yesterday before you showed up."

He turned back to his notes and pretended to glance over them, but several seconds later, he looked up, his nose trying to trace the source of that familiar scent...Roxanne's scent. At first he thought the aroma was coming from her, but upon further investigation, he discovered she had taken a container of light brown powder from the cabinet and was sprinkling the substance on her toast. He rose from his chair and walked slowly over to her; the scent was clouding his sinuses, and perhaps his judgment.

She nearly jumped in surprise when she saw that he was standing beside her, and she took a cautionary step back. He came to his senses and stepped away as well, but he watched intently as she spread the brown powder into the butter with her finger.

"What is that?"

Roxanne glanced up at him incredulously. "Um...toast?"

"No, that spice. What is it?"

She handed him the container, and he slowly brought it to his nose and inhaled. "It's cinnamon," she said softly, taking her plate and moving to the table. Solok stayed at the counter and breathed in the fragrance of the spice, closing his eyes as that warmth flooded his body from his gut to his fingertips. Yes, Roxanne smelled like cinnamon...no wonder he was so physically drawn to her. He had no idea the scent of the spice would be so..._arousing_.

He closed the lid on the container and set it on the counter, then joined Roxanne at the table. She too was reviewing her notes, and although he fixed his gaze on her several times as she ate, she avoided looking at him. Why was she being so cold towards him? Did they both not acknowledge that they found each other attractive, alluring? Judging by her reactions last night, she found him more than desirable, and it unsettled him that she was ignoring him now.

"Roxanne," he said finally. "Please look at me."

She finished chewing her bite of toast, swallowed and set the rest down on her plate. "What?"

Her voice was not as cold as he thought it might be. A good sign. "Are you angry at me?"

She sighed and stared down at her notes. "I don't think so...no, I'm not."

"Then why are you ignoring me?"

Roxanne fixed her tired gaze on him. "Because I really can't look at you right now."

"Why not?"

She snorted and turned away, staring resolutely at the PADD in her hand.

"Roxanne, I thought we had acknowledged our mutual attraction. Your shame and guilt are illogical."

She was silent for a while. "I guess so, but that doesn't change the way I feel. I mean, my society embraces the concept of free love and all that jazz, but I can't help but feel like I've committed a crime or something."

He raised an eyebrow. "Because I am Vulcan."

"Because I was drunk, I think," she said resolutely, her eyes fixed on the table.

He paused a moment before speaking again. "I still would have made every attempt to have you for myself, sober or no."

Solok immediately wished he could have taken back those words, and her pained expression nearly made him wince. After an awkward silence, she looked him in the eye and spoke again.

"What was that with the chocolate? You were on another level, Solok."

He nodded. "Yes, it did alter my mental state."

"So you were drunk too?"

He shook his head. "No, that was not intoxication, Roxanne. The closest thing I can ascribe to its effect on my body would be...fixation."

She frowned. "Fixation?"

"Yes," he confirmed, not bothering to correct her or point out that she had heard him and repeating his words was unnecessary. Now was not the time. "The only thing that truly registered for me after ingesting your chocolate was you, Roxanne...your skin, your hair...your scent."

She blushed again, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink, and he couldn't help but notice how endearing she looked. "Wow, that's...damn, that's kind of romantic in a way."

He sighed. "I assure you, gratifying my senses was...most rewarding. You are very...enchanting."

Her blush intensified, and she looked away. "Damn it, Solok, what are you trying to do?"

"I am attempting to alleviate your apprehension and shame. You have nothing to be ashamed of. We are adults, you and I, and we chose to be intimate. I do not regret what I did last night. I do not regret making love to you."

She stared at him as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Who are you and what have you done with Solok of Vulcan?"

He slowly rose from his seat and walked around her, then sank into the seat beside her. Roxanne's eyes left his but for a moment, but as he sat down, they were locked with his. He leaned forward and caressed her jawbone with two fingers. She gasped softly, the sound making tingles zip down his spine, and her wide eyes slowly became hooded and drowsy as he moved his attentions to her neck.

"Solok of Vulcan is right here, Roxanne," he purred, pressing a little harder. She moaned and leaned in to his touch. "He was always right here." He paused, then decided to speak frankly. "And you have captured him."

She opened her eyes and stared at him, fear and confusion clouding her bright green eyes, but he thought he saw the beginnings of affection stirring there too.

"What is your human phrase, 'a word to the wise'?" he continued, cupping her neck with one hand. "When you capture a Vulcan male as you have...he is not to be casually thrust aside."

She swallowed and frowned. "What do you mean?"

He leaned closer, so that their breath was mingling in the space between them. "It means that this is not over, _thy'la_. I only ask that you consider this: it is because of you that I am seriously reconsidering my view of humans, and all non-Vulcans. For all your emotionalism and illogic, traits I deemed inferior...you proved me wrong."

Her frown deepened, and the primitive part of him that had awakened in his chest longed to banish it from her face, longed to press his lips to hers and make that frown fade into nothingness...

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"As I'm sure you can recall, I said three months ago that you would fail this semester. You proved me wrong. Not only are you not going to fail, but you will, what is your phrase, 'pass with flying colors'?"

She breathed in, and he leaned in even further until his forehead was resting against hers. He could feel the flow of emotions bleeding into him, yet it did not bother him. It did not disturb or disgust him in the slightest; he examined the emotions that he felt from her: apprehension, uncertainty, self-doubt, yet underneath all those, a rippling current of hope and affection. He drank in her blooming regard for him, caressing her cheek as he did so, and he had to restrain himself from sealing his lips over hers.

She sighed. "I don't know where to go from here. Where we should go from here."

He nodded. "Your Christmas holiday is approaching after finals, and I will take the opportunity to go back home to Vulcan. I understand you'll be staying here?"

She murmured an affirmative. "Then take the time to ponder what I have said. I wish to explore this...to examine the possibility of you and I. But I will leave that decision up to you."

Roxanne closed her eyes. "Ok...and thank you."

"For what am I being thanked, _thy'la_?"

A nervous giggle escaped her lips. "Well, I don't mean to sound immature after all that you've just said, but...thanks for last night...I think. Judging by my gut, it must have been something."

He suppressed a growl and the desire to show her just how wonderful intimacy could be for her if she chose him, and instead cupped her cheek with his hand. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to the back of his, then slowly removed it from her face.

"I'll think about it long and hard, Solok," she assured him, staring him in the eyes. "And you have a good holiday, ok?"

"And you, Roxanne," he replied, standing to gather his things. Within two minutes he was packed and ready to leave, but before he departed, he turned to her. With three easy strides, he reached her, then pulled her to her feet and pressed him to his body. A triumphant smirk graced his lips as he lowered his head and gave her a kiss that hopefully left no doubt in her mind that he was serious, that he would pursue this. She gasped into his mouth, and although he was loathe to pull away, after a minute he stepped back from her and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"Until we meet again, Roxanne," he said in farewell, then turned on his heel and left the house.

…

It was nearly noon before Roxanne returned to her dorm. She had spent an hour or two cleaning the house up and changing the sheets on the bed they had slept in, and then she had hurried away from that house and the fuzzy memories of what had gone on there. How could she have been so irresponsible? She wasn't taking all the blame for their behavior, but it was definitely not something she was going to repeat any time soon. Her abdomen throbbed and ached all the way back to Starfleet Academy, and she kept trying to summon clearer memories of the night before, to no avail. But as she had so nervously admitted to Solok, whatever he had done to her must have been something. She was glad most students were indoors studying for finals so no one could see her prolonged walk of shame to her dorm. Her face was red from thinking about last night, and she didn't want anyone asking why she was walking so slowly, so gingerly.

Finally, she closed the door to her room and greeted Sicily with a wan smile. Her roommate simply nodded to her, unsuspecting for the moment.

"How'd your night go?"

The redhead blushed. "It was all right. Did you study last night or go with Sisko to the Launching Pad?"

Sicily shook her head. "Girl, I have finals coming out the wazoo. Celebrations can wait a week."

Roxanne nodded and pulled off her sweater, then decided to change into something more comfortable. She turned around so Sicily couldn't see the mark above her breast, and she gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She turned to toss it into her laundry basket near the end of her bed, but Sicily gasped, diverting her attention.

"Woman, what did you do last night?"

Roxanne looked back over her shoulder at her roommate. "What? What is it?"

Sicily unfolded her legs and walked over to Roxanne, then traced a finger down the redhead's back. She felt a stinging sensation and winced.

"Girl, someone marked you up good. What'd you do?" she asked again, a grin forming on her face. Roxanne rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a spare mirror, then turned around and examined her back in the bathroom mirror.

Sicily was right, someone had marked her up, quite thoroughly in fact. There were seven or eight thin claw marks spread over the skin of her back, and Roxanne noticed that they tapered near her neck, not the base of her spine. She didn't want to think too much into that, so she returned to her room and faced Sicily.

"Got a dermal regenerator on hand?"

Her roommate walked to her chest of drawers without a word, then bid Roxanne to lay down on her bed and let Sicily work. Eventually all the scars were gone from her back, and Sicily turned around so Roxanne could finish changing.

"You know," her roommate said after a period of silence, "you and Solok...you'd make a cute couple."

Roxanne could only sigh.


	7. It Seems He's Weaving a Web For Me

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. A very special thank-you to Fameanon for reviewing multiple times, and thanks to 09sasha for your feedback.**_

Roxanne took a deep breath and summoned her courage before walking into the Calculus final. It wasn't that she was afraid she would fail, quite the contrary. She felt assured that she would get an A in this class; she was more confident in her ability to pass this class then all her others. This semester would end well, her GPA would be raised a few points and her holidays would be peaceful. Well, perhaps not completely. She had been invited by Sisko's father to have a "beginning-of-the-holidays" dinner in New Orleans, and although Benjamin was still being chilly towards her, she hoped this dinner would see them reconciled.

It wasn't her grades or the upcoming dinner with Ben that made her so nervous. It was facing _him_ again, after searching her memories for the rest of the weekend and trying to come up with some answers, after discovering that she did indeed remember a few things that they had done that night. The very thought made her face feel hot, and she was surprised she didn't run out of the room when she saw him sitting in his usual seat beside hers, waiting for her.

She slid silently into her chair and stared straight ahead, not even bothering to do a last-minute review of her notes. She wanted this test to be over so she could escape him, because this was the only class they shared. Somehow, though, she knew it was futile to avoid him. Somehow she knew he would seek her out, that if she tried to hide he would only pursue her, like a cat chasing a mouse. The thought was both erotic and disturbing, but she set those thoughts aside as the professor told everyone to put their things away.

"I would speak to you after you have completed this exam," Solok murmured to her. She sighed and nodded, then fell silent as the teacher handed her a PADD.

Within an hour she had completed the test, though Solok was done in less than twenty minutes. How Vulcans managed to breeze through difficult and complex equations was beyond her, but she supposed Solok would be more than pleased to answer that question for her. She handed the PADD to the professor and nodded farewell, and the man offered her an encouraging smile and gestured her forward.

"I'm quite impressed with your progress this semester, Ms. Hartman," he murmured. She gave him a wan smile. "Have a good break," he continued, turning back to the stack of PADDs on his desk.

Roxanne quickly exited the classroom and found Solok waiting for her down the hall. He silently led her to an empty corner of the building, then turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"I did fine, Solok," she said, her smile sincere even though her voice was tired. "Great, actually. A-plus, no sweat."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he raised her chin with two fingers before leaning down and giving her a gentle kiss.

"I'm pleased," he purred, his lips still touching hers. Before she could respond, he had claimed her lips again, and he did not release her for a good five minutes. He finally pulled away and she gasped for breath, and his eyes sparkled in amusement.

"If you have any more problems with your classes, don't hesitate to ask for help," he murmured. "I'm sure we can arrange something."

She knew he was teasing her, but even so, it rubbed her in a strange way. Suddenly she had an idea.

Roxanne pushed him against the wall and pressed her mouth hard to his, and she took perverse pleasure in the sound of his surprised gasp. She was rewarded with his strong grip and eager lips, and she made the kiss more aggressive, more passionate, even pressing her body firmly against his.

As she intensified the moment, she could smell his musky scent grow stronger, and it seemed to her that it became hotter, spicier, infused with some foreign incense she couldn't identify. Even his lips seemed to taste spicier as she put her leg between his and applied gentle but firm pressure. He breathed in sharply through his nose and began nipping at her lips with his teeth, and she realized belatedly the severity of the effect she had on him. She was toying with a man who had three times her strength and twice her agility, and her realization was reaffirmed when he abruptly pulled away and switched places with her before she could blink. Now she was the one pressed against the wall, and his eyes glittered, the steel gray consumed by his black pupils.

"We should cease this, Roxanne," he growled, digging his fingers into her thighs, and she winced slightly as he pressed against sore bruises. "Else I will be very tempted to take the appropriate actions, and you are already pushing my control."

She grinned at that statement and leaned closer. "Am I really?" Before he could respond, she pulled him back into their kiss, gently biting his lower lip and aggressively exploring his mouth with her tongue. He pressed her harder against the wall.

"I'm warning you, Roxanne," he hissed. "I will drag you to a deserted corner of campus, to an abandoned storage closet, to an empty room of any kind, and I will take you for myself. Multiple times. This is what awaits you if you continue."

This caught her attention, and she leaned her head against the wall and stared into his now-dark eyes. "Yeah...I guess this is out of the question. Besides, I've got another exam in an hour, so..."

He tilted his head, a mischievous gleam entering his eyes. "I would have to cut our session short, but I'm sure I could find some way to please you."

She pressed her legs together against a wave of arousal that made things deep in her gut tighten, but she did it slowly, hoping he wouldn't notice. But he noticed something, because a spark flickered in his gaze and he leaned forward.

"I'm arousing you," he whispered, phrasing it as a fact, not a question. "My words arouse you."

She opened her mouth to retort, but he pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. "Do you _want_ me to find an empty storage closet?" he said with a knowing look in his eye.

Roxanne bit her lip. "I should probably go."

He was silent for a moment, then stepped away from her. She found she missed the pressure. "Yes, that probably would be best. I know you will do well on your exam."

She nodded. "Thanks."

She made to leave, but he caught her wrist and pulled her in for one last kiss. He made it brief, yet sweet, and she could still taste his spice on her tongue as she walked to her next exam.

…

Roxanne finally breathed a sigh of relief when she put down her bag in Mr. Sisko's guest room, and she flopped down on the bed and buried her head in the thick covers. Ben sat beside her and rubbed her back, and she smiled into the fluffy coverlet.

"I know this semester's been hard on you," Ben said. "And I know you must have been under a lot of pressure. Was it all worth it?"

She sighed. "I don't know. But I do know I got an A in that Calculus class."

"You showed Solok," her friend murmured. "You showed him a good bit of human determination."

She laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah, there were times during our tutoring sessions that I got by on sheer will alone. I am _so _glad this semester is over and done."

Ben nodded. "Let's just forget about it and have a good break, ok?"

Roxanne rolled over and stared up at him, grateful that they had made amends. "Friends?" she asked, holding out her hand. Ben looked appalled.

"We were always friends, Roxanne," he said softly, pulling her up into a sitting position. "I was mad at you, but it's your life, and it's not my place to dictate who you spend your time with."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling your dad told you to say that?"

His face fell, but she grinned at him, causing him to pick up a pillow and whack her with it. "Hey!" she shouted in protest as he began laughing. "Don't make me hurt you, Sisko-son."

"This okra ain't gonna chop itself, you two!" they heard Mr. Sisko call from the kitchen. They both sighed and exited the guest room, but not before Roxanne gave Ben a playful punch on the shoulder.

…

Solok stepped off the shuttle and scanned the landing platform for his parents. He spied them sitting on a bench a little ways away, and they both stood as he approached. He raised the _ta'al_, and they both returned the gesture.

"My son," his father said, the tiniest note of warmth and pride creeping into his deep voice. "It is agreeable to see you again."

"You appear well," his mother added, lightly touching his shoulder with a gentle hand.

"It is agreeable to home again," Solok said with a nod. "San Francisco has a colder climate than Vulcan."

His father, Sovar, nodded. "We have prepared your old room for your arrival, and your sister will be staying with her husband."

Solok nodded and followed them to the family shuttle, wondering if he should even mention Roxanne. His father would probably chide him for wasting his time with a human (he definitely would not be revealing that he had explored intimacy with one), and his mother would be quiet. She had always been reluctant to take any stance opposite his father, especially when it came to humans.

"When are you planning to return to Earth?" his father asked as he piloted the shuttle.

"I am unsure of my plans at this time."

Sovar nodded. "I trust you excelled at your courses at the Academy?"

Solok bowed his head. "I will receive the results of this semester in five days time, but I am confident I excelled."

The family fell silent until they reached their home outside Shi'Kahr, and Solok immediately headed to his room and set down his things. A quick glance around the room confirmed that nothing had changed since he left. All his books were untouched, and his clothing was still hanging in his closet. He wondered what Roxanne was doing at that moment, if she liked books, and if so, what kind. He thought of taking a few of the tomes back with him to the Academy to share with her, and then he closed his eyes. He needed to meditate; if his father ever found out that his thoughts were dwelling constantly on a human woman, he would certainly be shipped off to a monastery until his _pon farr_. It would be best not to speak of Roxanne, or of tutoring her in Calculus, or even of the barfight that ensued after they met. No, his Roxanne was none of his parent's business. He was free to choose his own mate, and at the moment, his cinnamon-scented _thy'la_ was a very tempting choice.

…

"So Ben tells me you were having trouble this last semester."

Roxanne nodded and speared a piece of okra with her fork, then was instantly reminded of her first lunch with Solok and crew. She sighed.

"Yeah, but I passed the class. I'm sure of it."

"That's good to know," Mr. Sisko said cheerfully. "What are your plans for the holidays?"

"Relax," she said simply.

"There's the annual Anderson New Year's Eve party," Ben said, smiling soberly at her. "Wanna come with me?"

"Why, Mr. Sisko, I would think you'd want to take Hannah Zimmerman from Level 2 Engineering Systems."

Ben's father grinned and rounded on Roxanne when his son's eyes grew wide and a slight blush crept over his cheeks.

"Tell me _everything _you know about this girl, Roxanne!" Sisko cried, a mischievous spark gleaming in his dark eyes.

"Well," she began, a grin of her own breaking over her features. "She's got long brown hair and big brown eyes, and I heard it through the grapevine that she's really smart and _very _attracted to your son, Mr. Sisko."

"Well, I'll be damned," Sisko muttered with an endearing chuckle. "My son never could keep the ladies away for long, could you, Ben?"

By this time, Ben was laughing with them, being a good sport.

"Tell you what," he muttered to Roxanne as Mr. Sisko took a bite of his Cajun shrimp. "I'll ask Hannah to come with me...but only if you convince your Calculus tutor to come with you."

It was Roxanne's turn to blush, and Sisko's eyes grew wide. "Oh, you mean that Vulcan you don't like, Ben?" He started to laugh. "The one you got in a barfight with?"

"The very same," Benjamin confirmed without a hint of shame in his voice. "The one that has somehow captured Roxanne's heart."

"Tutoring does not equal dating, Benjamin," she said defensively, but her irritation was diffused by Mr. Sisko's joyful grin.

"Tell me about this Vulcan, son."

Ben cocked an eyebrow and smiled. "He's tall, gangly, and he's one hell of a fighter. He serves up left hooks like nobody's business, and he's got beady gray eyes and slick black hair. You know Vulcans, not one hair out of place."

"He isn't gangly," Roxanne protested. "Just because he dislocated your shoulder-"

"Oh, so now you're defending him?" Benjamin accused with a short laugh. Mr. Sisko leaned back in his chair, an amused grin on his face. "I never thought I'd see the day..."

She opened her mouth to further protest against Ben calling Solok's eyes beady, but then she thought better of it. She took another bite of okra, then took a sip of water.

"If you want me to talk him into going to this party, I'm sure he'd love to observe drunken humans celebrating the New Year."

Ben shook his head. "Whatever, invite him if you want. Let's not talk about this, ok?"

"You brought him up, not me," she said with a playful smile, and he punched her shoulder before finishing his okra.

…

Roxanne was lounging in her family's living room, reading a old book and drinking hot chocolate. Her mother was out Christmas shopping and her father was having lunch with an old shipmate, and her brother wasn't due to arrive until next week. She had the house to herself and was relishing in the relaxing silence, but that silence was interrupted when she heard the comm system beep.

She stood up to receive the message and turned the system on, then pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Solok of Vulcan," she said with a faint smile. He bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Roxanne," he murmured in his deep, silky voice. Her smile widened.

"Why are you calling me?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "I received the results of my final exams, and called to inquire after yours, especially your Calculus grade."

She grinned. "Like I said, I passed. With flying colors, as you put it. I assume you aced the course?"

He frowned, and she giggled. "As in, you passed with high marks?"

Comprehension dawned over his features, and he nodded. "In all my classes, actually."

"Hey," she pouted with a mischievous grin. "What'd I say about gloating?"

He raised both eyebrows. "You inquired after my performance this last semester, and I simply gave you the facts."

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I was just thinking of our first meeting in the Launching Pad."

He nodded. "I remember it well."

Roxanne folded her arms across her chest. "Now, I'm sure you'll concede that I won that argument."

Solok narrowed his eyes slightly, but he did not seem displeased with her statement. "You made some valid points, but you also exited the establishment in tears."

She closed her eyes, reliving the memory. "Yeah, after you thoroughly insulted me."

His triumphant expression faded slightly, and she thought she saw a glimmer of regret behind his eyes. "That was wrong of me," he said quietly, and she tilted her head.

"Well, you didn't have to say I was a simpleton, but you were right about my grades. And as much as I hated learning Calculus with you...I'm glad you came along."

He raised an eyebrow. "May I inquire why?"

"You saved my presence at the Academy. You know how strict it is there: one fail and you're on probation, two and you're out."

He frowned at her. "You have previously failed a course?"

"No, but my father would have a heart attack if he found out I was headed toward academic probation."

He opened his mouth to inquire, but she held up a hand. "It's an expression, Solok."

The Vulcan offered her another small nod. "How are you faring? Are your holidays going well?"

She smiled and nodded. "So far it's been great. I am _so _tired, though."

He frowned. "Are you getting adequate rest?"

She raised her eyebrows and paused for a long moment, and Solok feared he may have said something wrong. But he was only inquiring after her health.

His worries were dispersed when she smiled. "Whatever have you done with the Solok I knew?"

His eyes brightened. "You will not encounter him again."

Roxanne leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes, a slight smile on her face. "Roxanne?" she heard him say.

"I'm savoring the moment," she said to his unspoken question.

Although he did not quite understand what there was to savor, he let her have a moment as it seemed he had given her some sort of contentment. The thought pleased him.

"Listen," she said, opening her eyes. He quirked an eyebrow. "There's going to be a party here for Earth's New Year, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

His gray eyes grew dark. "That would be agreeable. I assume this is a formal occasion?"

"Slightly formal," she confirmed. The tiniest of smiles lit his eyes.

"Then I have reason to look forward to this gathering. It will give me a chance to see you in something more appealing."

She glanced down at her t-shirt and jeans and laughed. "What, you don't find my outfit appealing?"

His eyes glittered. "You look appealing in many outfits, Roxanne, but if I may be frank, you look your best when you don't put an outfit on at all."

He waited a moment for her to catch his meaning, and she covered her mouth in mock indignation. "Solok of Vulcan is flirting with me!" she cried out. He quirked an eyebrow.

"I am doing no such thing."

She giggled and the high points of her cheeks turned pink. "Say what you want, that sounded like flirting to me."

"But you are not displeased with this method of communication."

She laughed harder. "Weirdly, no, I'm not."

Roxanne turned her head when she heard the side door opening. "Listen, I've got to go. Contact me later?"

His eyes glittered in amusement. "Very well. I look forward to our next communique."

She smiled, then abruptly ended the transmission before her father walked in, bearing a load of groceries from the market. "Who was that?" he asked, a suspicious expression clouding his green eyes.

"A friend from school."

Her father narrowed his eyes. "What kind of friend? Who is he?"

"He's a _friend_. He's Vulcan, if you must know."

After a few moments of silence, he smiled. "Did you know it's snowing outside?"

She glanced out the window and grinned. "Want some hot chocolate?" She held up her half-empty mug. He murmured an affirmative, and he put away the groceries while she busied herself with making him a mug of cocoa.

Her father was only home for a little while before he left again to run a few errands, and by the time he was gone, the snow had let up, blanketing the landscape in a pillowy layer of white. Roxanne sat in the window seat under the old heater and watched the neighborhood children run around in the fresh-fallen snow. She longed to join them, but she felt so tired that any notion of running around in the cold was out of the question. Instead, she retreated to her room and laid down to sleep.

…

"He's coming, Ben," she said. Her mother was the one out this time, and her father was asleep in the living room. It was late evening, after dinner, and Benjamin had contacted her after she sent him a written message confirming Solok's presence at the New Year's Party.

"How'd you ask him?"

She sighed. "I asked him if he wanted to go. He said yes. What did you want me to say?"

Ben adopted a fake, melodramatic smile and spoke in a falsely high voice. "Solok, my love, won't you please attend this party with me? We can dance the night away and you can kiss me to ring in the New Year!"

Roxanne grinned despite herself. "I didn't know you had a crush on him, Ben!"

His face went red, and she laughed at him. He narrowed his eyes. "Well, I'll see how you treat him at this party...and then the truth will out, Roxanne!" His voice turned triumphant. "Oh, and tell me if he sends you anything for Christmas."

She shook her head. "One, he probably won't, and two, that's none of your business."

Ben grinned. "So you do like him."

It was her turn to narrow her eyes. "I'm not going to talk about this with you."

Their conversation was light for the rest of their communique, and she signed off and turned in early, the strange exhaustion that had been plaguing her for the last two weeks finally getting the better of her.


	8. And I'm Tangled Day by Day

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon, dettaarsvenska, bina W, maba7x, Nyotarules, and 09sasha for reviewing!**_

T'Kara's family home was a sprawling complex, the stronghold and surrounding land passed down for generations. Her clan was old and still influential on Vulcan, and her father held office in the High Council. The match Sovar had acquired for his son was an advantageous one, but Solok knew from the time he was ten that this was not right, that he would never be content with T'Kara as his mate. They were cold to each other, formal, and it would be best for both of them if they parted ways. It was only logical.

Her family's courtyard was bright and warm, the reddish stones reflecting heat into the octagonal area. Solok walked along the spiral design in the middle of the courtyard, methodically placing one foot in front of the other, trying to clear his mind. He heard the door open.

T'Kara strode out towards him, her bearing stately, her demeanor calm and collected. He straightened and offered her his two fingers to touch, and she did so lightly, as was tradition. But she quickly pulled away and stared him straight in the eyes, and he saw no warmth or affection reflected there.

"What is the purpose of your visit?" she asked without further ado, her tone clipped and cold.

Solok took a calming breath. "I came to inquire after you, and to talk to you."

"And what do you wish to discuss with me?"

"The nature of our bond, T'Kara," he said after a short pause. It was illogical to waste time with pleasantries. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible, so he could seek another bond as soon as he left here.

"It has never been strong," he continued. He paused again. "I do not wish to strengthen it."

He could have sworn he saw relief in her gaze, but it disappeared as soon as he glimpsed it. "Are you implying that you wish to release me from our engagement?" she asked quietly. Was that hope he saw in her dark brown eyes?

There was no logic in denying the truth. "Yes, I wish to release you. You and I would not be content if we were to marry, and I get the impression you would call the _kal-if-fee_. I mean you no offense, but I do not wish to fight for you."

He could almost feel the relief pouring off of her in waves. "And I would not wish you to. I will admit to you, _telsu_, that I would have called the Challenge. I wish to bond with another."

Solok allowed the tiniest smile to grace his lips. "Then pursue him. I too wish another as my mate."

T'Kara nodded, looking satisfied. "Then in three days time, may I call upon you at the temple? There is no logical purpose in continuing?"

He bowed his head in affirmation. "I will see you at the temple. Peace and long life, T'Kara."

She raised the _ta'al_. "Live long and prosper, Solok."

He nodded to her one last time and departed her family's home, and once he was alone in his family's shuttle, he breathed a soft sigh of relief.

…

Solok was packing his clothes back into his bag when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He called for his visitor to enter, and his mother came in and sat on his bed.

"My son, are you leaving us so early?"

He nodded and avoided her gaze. "I have been invited to a social engagement on Earth to celebrate their New Year, and I wish to go. I will have to leave in three days at the latest if I am to return to Earth in time for the gathering."

His mother raised her eyebrows slightly. "Who invited you?"

He swallowed. "I have been tutoring a human in Calculus, mother. She asked me to go."

T'Pel's eyebrows rose higher. "She? What is this human's name?"

"Her name is Roxanne Hartman," he admitted after a long pause.

His mother was quiet for a few moments as he nestled some old books in between his clothes. "T'Kara's family contacted me yesterday. Your father was out on an errand, and I have not told him what you have done. I do not intend to. That is your duty, my son."

Solok stopped packing and finally faced his mother. "She and I would have never been content, mother. I did what was logical."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You do not have to explain your actions to me, Solok. I understand your discontent, and it is your right to find another mate...however, I do not believe your father will approve. He will find someone else for you, as he believes is his duty."

His tense, cold expression eased, and he relaxed his shoulders. His mother understood and lightly touched his shoulder.

"Tell me more about Roxanne."

Solok was silent, and he looked away and continued to pack his bag.

"You wish to have her as your mate?"

He could never hide things from his mother for long. He nodded slowly.

"Does she make you happy, my son? Do you feel content when you are with her?"

He nodded again, awash in memories and half-suppressed emotions, and he had to turn away.

"Does she stir your _katra_, Solok? Does her essence call to you?"

Solok finally composed himself and turned to her. "Mother..."

T'Pel smiled slowly. "Forgive the private inquiries, but I only wish what is best for you. Is she a worthy woman?"

Solok nodded. "She is. My only wish is to be worthy of her."

His mother stared at him a moment longer, then quickly exited the room. He heard her footsteps return a few minutes later, and she handed him a small box.

"Give her this."

Solok ceased arranging folded clothes in his bag and took the box, carefully lifting the lid. Inside, nestled in soft white cloth, was a small metal IDIC of bronze and gold. A ruddy stone was set at the tip of the triangle, and the sides of the circle were slightly worn with age.

"My mother gave that to me when I was a girl," his mother explained. "I promised myself that I would pass it on someday, but in the end, I gave your sister the silver IDIC my grandfather gave my father, who then passed it to me. So I give you this one, to give to her. I hope she wears it well."

"The colors will look agreeable on her..." he murmured, lightly touching the cool metal. "She has red hair, mother."

T'Pel smiled ever so slightly. "She must be remarkable, if she has captured my son as she has. And do not be ashamed of her, Solok, or of your children should you choose to have them. If you give her this, then remember what it stands for. Even after centuries of platitudes about diversity and acceptance, some of our people still fall prey to delusions of superiority and pride."

Solok nodded. "I almost walked down that path."

"I know," she whispered. "And it pained me to see it. But if you intend to have a human as your wife, then I know you have changed your view of them."

He nodded again, absentmindedly, then turned to his mother and let her see the gratitude in his eyes. "I believe Roxanne will appreciate this. Tell me, mother, is there paper and a writing utensil in the house, or should I fetch one?"

His mother's eyes gleamed with affection. "I have some in my office."

…

Roxanne woke up late on Christmas morning, and she walked groggily down the hall to the living room and blinked in the bright light of day. The window curtains were cast back, revealing a winter wonderland outside, where half-imagined shapes were muted in the blanket of snow. The sun radiated over the tops of the pine trees, casting its weak light over the chilly morning; the snow sparkled in the sun as if it had been sprinkled with tiny diamonds.

Her silent contemplation of the scene was interrupted when her brother called her name. She turned to him and he tossed a box to her, and she flopped down on the floor to open it. Her mother was quiet as she gathered the spare tissue paper, and the morning turned into one of the quietest Christmases Roxanne had ever seen. She got some nice things, like a pair of thick gloves for the cold and a nice dress from her mother, a wooden flute from her father, and a set of old books from her brother. She thought that was all since she was the last one up that morning, but her brother handed her one more thing.

"This came last night, after you had gone to bed," he said quietly. It was a tiny box wrapped in plain paper, and across the paper were scrawled three symbols. She got the sudden notion that she didn't want her family to see what was inside, so she gave her mother a pleading look and begged off. Her brother went out to see some friends, her father left to chop some more firewood, and her mother set about reading a book she had gotten from Roxanne's father.

Roxanne retreated to her room and closed the door before she unwrapped the gift, and sure enough, there was a note in Vulcan waiting for her when she opened the lid of the small box. She quickly translated it with her PADD and leaned back onto her pillows to read it.

_Roxanne,_

_My mother owned this IDIC when she was a girl, and she bid me give it to you. I hope this gift finds you happy and healthy, and I eagerly anticipate our next meeting._

She didn't have to look at the signature to know who had sent this item to her. She lifted out the soft cloth and unwrapped it, and a small metal pendant and chain fell onto her bedspread.

She held it in her palm and examined it, letting the bronze and gold and the ruddy stone catch the light. It was a lovely piece of art, and her eyes suddenly welled with tears.

She couldn't help but be touched by this gesture on his part, and without further ado, she unlocked the chain and set it around her neck and let the cold metal be warmed by her skin. A part of her was scared of the intentions behind the gift, reminding her of her foolish mistake regarding Solok, but most of her was simply pleased that he had thought of her.

What on Earth had she gotten herself into?

…

"Roxanne?"

She looked up and saw her mother in the doorway, and Roxanne put down the book she was reading.

Her mother came in and shut the door behind her, then sat on her bed. "Is everything ok, honey? You've been sleeping a lot more lately, and I know this last semester was hard on you. Are you sure you're all right?"

Roxanne shook her head. "Mom, I'm just tired, ok? This has nothing to do with school. School is fine."

Her mother sighed. "Do you need to go see the doctor? Do you feel ok?"

"I feel fine," she insisted. "My goal for the break was to _relax_, which is exactly what I'm doing, ok?"

She sighed again. "All right, Roxanne. But if you need to talk to me...I love you, baby. You can tell me anything, and I'll still love you no matter what. Ok?"

"Ok," Roxanne replied, a note of irritation slipping into her voice.

Her mother left, stopping at the door to look back at her, but Roxanne directed her attention to her book. The door slipped shut.

_I know this chapter is short, but it leads into the next one, which will be longer, I promise._


	9. Tighter, Tighter Spins the Spider

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon (and Roxanne), dinopoodle, BewilderedFemale, tahmtahm, T'Sara, 09sasha, neverest, Scarlettbrandi, SavanaSahara, and Alysha for reviewing! Holy tribbles, that's a lot of reviews! You are all amazing!**_

_**A/N: I hope this chapter finds you all in the best of health. I know it's been ages since I've updated, but I've had about ten thousand other things going. But since New Year's is only a few days away, and this deals with New Year's, here's an update. Finally. Enjoy!**_

Roxanne sighed quietly to herself as she pulled the deep red dress into place, letting her hands wander over the satin, her heart pounding in anticipation of Solok's arrival. She was at Sicily's house getting ready for the New Year's party, and though her friend had given her a bewildered look when she told her who her date was, she didn't press, and Roxanne was grateful. There were days when she couldn't even explain to herself what she saw in Solok, but there was something there...something she had been craving for years now. Somehow...she just knew it.

She heard the door open and close behind her, but she did not hear any footsteps approach her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up in anticipation, and she knew then who was in the room with her...who was alone with her. She could feel him right behind her, and she knew of only one person who could make her feel this way.

She felt his warm breath at her neck and his hands around her waist. She automatically leaned back into him, moaning in pent-up frustration and half-realized desire, and she purred as his lips found the flesh of her neck. She heard him purr and smiled despite her frustrations, but she frowned when he inhaled at her neck.

She was spun around to face him, and she gasped softly. It still hurt her pride to admit it, but he looked more striking than ever, dressed sharply in a slate gray Vulcan suit, his hair rimrod straight, his gray eyes gleaming in confusion.

"You smell different," he murmured, leaning forward and inhaling the scent of her hair. "It is even more arousing than when we first touched." His voice was a low baritone, gravelly...it was sending vibrations down to her core, and she bit back a whimper.

"And to think you were calling me a simpleton not three months ago," she teased, and his expression faltered.

"I would appreciate it if you would move forward with me, and put the past away. I do not wish to dwell on it."

She grinned. "I was just teasing you," she said, and she stared up at him with a soft smile. She leaned up and put her neck to his nose and inhaled, and she could not bite back a moan this time.

"Oh, you smell _good_, Solok," she groaned, inhaling again, moving her nose around as if every new patch of his skin was saturated with his fresh scent. She moaned again and pressed herself to him, kissing his neck lightly. "I missed you."

It seemed a weighty admission on her part, but she could not deny its truth. She felt his absence keenly, and despite it all, she was very excited to take him up on his offer to explore the possibilities of their relationship.

"Indeed, your presence was missed as well," he whispered, feathering kisses along her forehead and holding her tightly to his body. He was warm and smelled fresh and spicy, like citrus and incense, and she laid her head on his chest with a sigh.

"I've been so tired lately," she mumbled into his shirt. "But it's good to be doing something again. Christmas was..." She shook her head and trailed off, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Are you unwell?" he asked softly, and she grinned at the concern in his voice.

"I'm alright...you and this last semester took the damn mickey out of me."

He pulled away and looked down at her. "I do not understand your slang, Roxanne. Please, explain."

She grinned. "It means you wore me out," she elucidated softly. She leaned forward until their lips were nearly touching again. "In more ways than one," she breathed, pressing herself even more firmly to him. He breathed in sharply and narrowed his eyes down at her, but she thought she saw a hint of victory gleaming in his gray irises.

"Do I?" he murmured. "Roxanne...I was intoxicated then. There will come a time when I will _truly_, as you put it, take the mickey out of you." He brushed his lips to hers. "And you will enjoy every minute of it..."

"You know I will," she whispered, kissing him with desperate fervor, and he cupped her cheek, making her skin feel flushed. She moaned into his mouth and let his tongue dominate her, and finally he pulled away and stepped back. She was about to protest when she heard a knock at the door, and she smiled in understanding, silently thanking any deities that might be out there for his good ears.

She opened the door to Sicily, who was in a lovely orange number, and the African-American med student grinned wickedly at her.

"You two lovebirds ready to go?"

"I am not a bird," Solok protested quietly in the background, but Roxanne simply giggled and took his hand.

"You bet we're ready! Come on, lover boy, let's go study human celebrations together."

Solok's nostrils flared as she took his hand, and she felt a sharp tingling sensation run through her system. It lingered with her for several moments and she stared at him in confusion, but finally it faded and they followed Sicily to the aircar.

…

He could hear the noise of the crowd before he even opened the door of the aircar. Sicily had taken her own vehicle in order to shuttle a few more of her friends to the gathering, but Solok had chosen to rent one so he and Roxanne could ride together alone. She had spent the trip leaning against him, her eyes closed, seemingly in slumber, and he had spent the trip with his arm wrapped protectively around her, one hand on the controls, the other caressing her thigh.

She was a slender woman, but it had not escaped his notice that her waist looked thicker, her thighs more luscious, her breasts larger. It made him salivate just thinking about it, and the primal part of him wanted to escape the party as soon as possible and spend some time alone with Roxanne. Her scent was intoxicating, and so different...his logical side could find no explanation for her changed scent, but his primal self was growling in possession, howling at him to take the utmost care with her, to protect her, to keep her at his side at all times.

He helped her from the aircar and locked the vehicle, and as they walked into the porch light, he noticed something sparkling just below the neckline of her dress. He stopped her and drew it out on its chain, and when he saw the pendant dangling before his eyes, he gazed deeply into her eyes and let it fall on the outside of her clothing.

"I am pleased," he purred, noticing the lovely way his family stone and the color of her hair complemented each other. "You wear my mother's pendant well, _thy'la_."

A lovely pink flush graced her cheeks, and he smirked. "Truly, you do," he continued, stroking her face. They were some of the last to arrive, and the party was in full swing inside the spacious house. There was no one out here to see them, as the weather was chilly and wet. But with his Roxanne gazing up at him with affection shining in her bright green eyes, he felt no chill.

He led her inside, and he frowned slightly as Sisko hailed them both from across the foyer, but he stayed where he was when Roxanne stopped and called back.

"Well looky here!" the human exclaimed, pulling Roxanne into a tight hug. Solok stiffened, irked at how Sisko was touching her, but Roxanne shoved him off after a few seconds with a playful smile.

"Sisko-son, don't choke me, please. Where's Hannah?"

Sisko turned around and called to a petite brunette across the foyer, and she came running, a silly grin plastered on her face.

"Hey, you must be Roxanne!" the girl said excitedly. "I'm Hannah. Who's your date?"

"Solok of Vulcan," Sisko replied before he or Roxanne could speak. Hannah's eyes widened and she giggled, and Sisko looked somewhat annoyed. Solok was bemused with their behavior, and the look on Roxanne's face said she was just as confused.

"Is this the Vulcan you got in a barfight with?"

Roxanne shook her head. "If you must know, there were extenuating circumstances. Sisko was defending my honor," she said in a grandiose voice, and Solok stiffened again. But then Roxanne smiled up at him. "Thankfully, we've all settled our differences. This is my boyfriend, Hannah."

Solok relaxed and looked down at her with a surge of pride, his beast roaring in victory. _Boyfriend_, she had called him, a male of romantic interest who has the possibility of becoming fiance and later husband to the female. This was a most agreeable development.

He suppressed a chuckle at the look of shock on Sisko's face, and he thought he saw jealousy in the human's features before it disappeared.

"Roxanne, when did this happen? What did I miss?" he demanded. Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrow at Sisko, but the human was ignoring her, his eyes fixed on Roxanne.

She shook her head and gave him an incredulous look. "Obviously, a lot." She turned to Solok. "You said you wanted to date, and you gave me your mother's pendant. So doesn't that make things official, since you came with me, and I accepted your gift?"

His blood rushed in victory. "Yes, Roxanne, I believe that makes it official."

"So you'll go out with me?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "If that means dating, then yes, I accept."

"Why, Mr. Solok!" she said in a fake accent he recognized as "American Southern", "I do declare, my mother would be _thrilled _to know I have such a wonderful suitor! Isn't he _handsome_?" she exclaimed, dramatically laying her hand to her forehead and turning to Hannah, who was giggling.

"See, Sisko-son?" she continued, dropping the accent. "Easy as pie." She turned to him again. "Would you get me something non-alcoholic to drink, sweetheart?"

He nodded and moved off toward the drink table, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. He saw a vast array of drinks from all over the Federation, but his nose was assaulted by Roxanne's scent. He rooted it out and found a steaming crock of a dark amber liquid, labeled apple cider. He ladled some into a cup for her and quickly returned to her side, relishing the scent of her on her body and wafting up from the cider.

"Really, Ben, I think you should ask her out!" Roxanne hissed vehemently at Sisko, gesturing towards the open door, where there was a large crowd of people dancing to music. "Hannah has a major crush on you, and I don't think it was very mature of you if you asked her here just to have a date."

"You came with Solok."

"I knew before asking him here that I liked him, and I wanted him to come anyway. Thank you for suggesting it," she countered without missing a beat, and his beast purred with pride. "If you don't return Hannah's feelings, you need to be honest with her. It'll break her heart, but it's better to do it now than lead her on."

Sisko sighed. "Look, I think Hannah is very nice and very sweet, but...I like someone else."

"Then tell Hannah how you feel and ask this other girl out!"

"I can't," he said dejectedly. "She's with someone else."

Roxanne winced. "Ouch, that hurts, bro...well, Sisko-son, you're SOL. Tough luck, man."

He shrugged. "I just hope she's happy."

She tilted her head and smiled sweetly. "That's so sweet of you, Ben!" She saw him holding the cider for her and her smile widened, and Sisko begged off, retreating into the crowd.

She stared off after the human and shook her head. "I love him like a brother, but man, is he thick sometimes."

Roxanne took a sip of cider and moaned in appreciation. "How did you know?"

He quirked an eyebrow, a rush of pleasure moving through his veins. "You are fond of this beverage?"

"My favorite," she said with a smile, taking another long drink. "Mm...want some?" She offered him the cup.

He took it with a smirk and took a large drink of it, then handed it back to her. "On my planet," he said quietly, "for a female to offer a drink to a male is to offer herself to him as a wife. To take the drink and imbibe it is to accept."

She gave him an incredulous look. "You're joking, right?"

"Not at all. Ask any Vulcan, and they will say the same."

She frowned at him, looking slightly nervous. "I like you a lot, Solok, but I'm not marrying you yet. Hold your horses, Vulcan."

"I have no horses to hold, Roxanne," he replied. "Your human idioms are highly illogical."

"It means to be-"

"I know what it means." He smirked again. "Shall I get you more cider, _thy'la_?"

"What does that mean anyway?"

He nearly smiled as he bent toward her ear and whispered a response. "It means 'lover'," he breathed, letting his lips brush the cartilage of her ear. Her eyes slid shut momentarily, and he made sure that his lips brushed her again as he straightened. "I will return momentarily."

He strode off to get her more cider, feeling rather pleased with himself.

…

Roxanne thought the party was rather crowded and was starting to get a headache from all the noise, so she slipped out the back door with Solok at her heels, and they began a slow walk through the quiet night. They walked down the steps of the back deck and forged a path over the frosty ground, angling toward the lake and a ridge she remembered from two years ago.

She had come with Sisko and Sicily, and the night was a little warmer than this, but not much. She remembered Ben pushing her off the ledge where she was headed now, and the water was bitter cold. Sicily had chided him for weeks for his stupid stunt, but Roxanne had simply laughed it off, even though she was hurt by his careless behavior.

Now she sat on the cold ground, and Solok sat right behind her and pulled her into his lap. She had remembered to grab her hat and coat as a defense against the cold, but having a Vulcan to sit with did make things a little warmer.

She leaned back into him and made herself comfortable as he wrapped his arms around her, and she reached for his hand, squeezing it gently before he ripped it away.

"Solok?" She felt disappointment seep into her heart. "What's wrong?"

He was silent for a few moments, his breathing oddly harsh, and she felt his hot breath at her neck.

"We are alone, _thy'la_," he whispered, his voice hoarse and low. "Do not take my hand like that lest you want me to take you here and now."

She frowned. "What's the deal with holding your hand?"

She felt his nose in her hair. "Have you not learned? Vulcan hands are very...sensitive."

He spun her around, wrapping her legs around his waist, and she gasped at the sudden change. His eyes were alight with fire as the moonlight bathed them in silver, and he raised a trembling hand to her face.

"We use our fingers, our hands, to meld," he whispered roughly, his fingers lingering in strange places on her face. She gasped at the tingling sensation. "And we use them to bond," he growled, both of his hands raising to cup her face. His eyes burned into her, and her eyes slid shut.

For several moments, she could not think straight. There was a whisper, a caress almost, in the back of her mind, that felt inexplicably like _him_. She wasn't an idiot; she knew Vulcans were touch-telepaths and that they used their fingers to meld, but she had no idea being touched like that would feel like _this_. There was an erotic undertone to the way he was gripping her face, and when he made to pull away, she moaned in protest.

She opened her eyes and gazed at him, amazed at how dark his pupils were, and how large. "You didn't have to go," she whispered, cupping his face in the same manner with one of her hands. His eyes darkened further.

"Do not tempt me, Roxanne," he growled, his eyes black as night, his pupils haloed in gray, like two miniscule solar eclipses.

She had the sense not to press the issue, so she lowered her hand and kissed him in apology.

"I'm sorry, Solok, I didn't know."

"I understand," he murmured, cupping her cheek, "but I must ask you not to do it again, unless you want to engage in intimacy with me again."

She was silent for several breaths. "But I do want to. I want to try this sober."

His eyes darkened again, and he looked darkly pleased. "I could satisfy your rampant curiosity," he purred, nuzzling his nose along the hollows of her throat. "I could take you now, if I wished...you should not tempt me, not when there is still so much for you to learn."

"I don't understand."

He looked oddly sad, and he sighed. "There will come a time...if you stay with me, deepen our relationship...there will come a time when I will need you more than ever. I do not want you to run from me."

She shook her head at him. "You're being vague, Solok. I thought Vulcans prided themselves on their precision."

"I am being vague for good reason," he said curtly, and she frowned at him. "I will not tell you more until the time is right. But please," he continued, his voice lowering to an almost desperate whisper. "Do not run from me."

"Why would I run from you? Or is this treading into the territory you don't want to share yet?"

His smile was barely noticeable, and wry. "If only you knew."

She kissed him softly, sensing somehow that he felt very vulnerable, and she reached up and toyed with his ears. He purred against her lips, like a contented cat, and he nudged her fingertips like a feline begging to be petted. She giggled and deepened their kiss, teasing his lips with the tip of her tongue. His purrs lowered and almost sounded like growls, like the rumblings of a large tiger.

She wasn't sure how, but she drifted off to sleep, warm and comfortable in his arms, but some time later she awoke with a jolt and looked around in confusion, bewildered by her surroundings until she saw Solok staring down at her with an amused expression.

"You look quite charming when you sleep," he cooed, touching her lips with a light finger. She groaned.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly 2300. We have time to go back to the party if you wish."

Her stomach rumbled a little, but she felt more tired than hungry.

"I could fetch you some food, and we could leave."

She smiled. "That actually sounds nice. Let's do it."

He helped her to her feet and walked with her back to the house, where the party was still in full swing. She waited on the back deck as he slipped inside in search of food, and he came back with some Earth vegetables and a small selection of fruit from around the Federation, as well as a steaming cup of a creamy soup. She sniffed it and smiled in appreciation.

"What kind of soup is this?"

"The label said 'potato'. Is this agreeable?"

She smiled and kissed his cheek once the door was closed. She was getting the distinct impression that PDA was not his thing, and she would have to restrain herself. "You are an angel, Solok," she whispered in his ear, kissing the tip. She heard a deep growl escape his throat, but he led her around the house, back to the aircar they had taken here, and he helped her inside.

She ate quickly, then set the trash aside and leaned against him with a contented sigh. Her eyes were drooping again, and she scooted further away from him so she could lay her head in his lap. She wasn't sure where he intended to take her, but she decided to trust him, and fell asleep.

…

Solok glanced down at her as she nuzzled her head in his lap, and he took a deep breath, trying not to let his primal instincts overtake him. In the warmth of the aircar, where his nose was not so deadened by cold, her scent was tugging at him again, tantalizing him with its uniqueness, her aroma yet changed somehow, and his mind was spinning in circles trying to solve the puzzle.

He stroked her red hair and looked at his controls, contemplating where to go. She had confessed that she wanted to continue exploring intimacy with him, and he was loathe to let her go so soon. There was still so much that could be done tonight and in the early morning hours, and the weeks they still had for vacation. He still had plenty of time to solve this maddening puzzle, and he wished he had access to a tricorder.

He decided to find a nice hotel on the outskirts of the nearest town, and he quickly booked a room and directed the aircar towards it. When she woke in the morning, she would be rewarded for her curiosity, and he would begin to show her all that he could offer her as a mate.


	10. The Fight's Gone Out of Me

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon (and her characters), Ahlysha, dinopoodle, Caren Rose, and jackiemack916 for reviewing! You're all awesome!**_

_**A/N: First part is kind of M. Don't like, don't read.**_

Solok stroked Roxanne's hair as she rested in his lap, running her medium-length red locks through his fingers. She was sleeping peacefully, and he looked down at her, tempted to see what she was dreaming about. His fingers hovered over her temple, but he withdrew them. He did not have the right to intrude on her dreams in any way yet. Though...he had to admit that the urge to bond with her was terribly tantalizing...but he had to have permission...

He sighed and landed the aircar, then lifted his Roxanne in his arms and went to their hotel room. He laid her down on the bed, and an idea sprung to mind as he stroked her face. He wanted her awake...he had the urge to mate with her again, and it would not be denied. If he could not have her mind, he would see if he could at least satiate his hunger with a brief encounter.

He lowered his head, hiked up her dress and tugged her leggings off her legs, and her underwear after that. Then he went to work.

She moaned slightly, but did not wake, and he worked harder, plunging his tongue into her, as if he were painting a picture inside of her.

He felt her awake with a sharp gasp, and on a whim, he glanced at the timepiece above her head. Twenty minutes to midnight. Perfect.

"I'm glad to see you awake," he purred, continuing his lascivious kiss on her womanhood. She whimpered and wriggled beneath him, her legs parting even more for him. Hunger was gnawing at him, and he took a thigh in each hand and spread them wide, piercing her with his tongue. She let out a soft yelp and bucked her hips, but he used his strength to keep her in place. Ten minutes to midnight.

He worked harder at her, making her writhe and buck into his caresses, and with only two minutes till midnight, she released for him, spilling into his waiting mouth. He groaned, swallowing down her essence, and he closed his eyes.

"You taste...exquisite," he growled, and in the blink of an eye, his nose was at her neck, inhaling her like a psychoactive drug. "And your scent..._what is it? I should know what this is..._"

He growled and sniffed at her hair, at her neck, in between her breasts (he pulled off her dress and tossed it aside), but he gave up and kissed her as midnight came and went.

"Now," he whispered, his fingers trailing down to where his mouth had been. He pushed them inside her, causing her to gasp. "Why don't we satiate your desire for intimacy outside the realms of intoxication?"

She moaned and nodded. "Go right ahead, I'm all yours tonight," she breathed, and he smirked, pushing his fingers further into her and biting the juicy meat of her shoulder. She cried out, and he smirked into her neck.

"Do you mean that literally? Do not say what you do not mean in front of a Vulcan male, especially when he has designs on your person. He will take you at your word. And since you have stated that you are completely mine, I will not hesitate to engage in intercourse with you. Is this acceptable?"

She groaned. "Solok! Just...please!"

"Oh, but _ashaya_, I enjoy hearing you beg," he purred in her ear.

"Solok!" She sat up and growled his name an inch from his face. "Sex now, talk later!"

Those four words, and her tone of voice, had his blood prickling with flame, and he lost the desire to tease and wait. He felt the overwhelming need to take her, and he shoved her onto her back and positioned himself to enter her. She moaned like a wounded animal as he hesitated but for a moment, and then he took her with a strong, swift thrust.

"You wanted sex now," he purred in her ear, slowly moving himself deeper into her tight core. "And your wish is my command."

Something in her scent made him want to fill her to the brim, yet his instincts were telling him to not be as rough as he might have liked to be. He felt protective of the woman writhing beneath him, and he would protect her from anything that might befall her...even his own eagerness and thoughtlessness. This was no game, no competition of passion...this was desire unbridled, unleashed, and he made sure every move he made pleased her, pleasured her in the fullest.

"Bite me hard, Solok," she cried, wrapping her legs around him, pushing him in deeper. Her hands ran through her lush red hair, exposing her neck to him. "I know you want to, do it!"

Her hands snaked up his body and pulled him down close to her. "Come on, Solok!" she whined, "I want you to bite me!"

He needed no more encouragement. He bit her so hard he felt her skin yield almost instantly, and she howled his name as he pounded into her. He had no idea why she was being so aggressive, but it was rousing his blood and making him feel...feverish.

_No,_ he thought to himself. His first fever had not come yet, but still...it was as if _she_ were the one in _pon farr_, the way she was demanding him to bite her, to take her harder...he growled and bit her again, and again, and again, and again. When he went to bite her yet another time, he felt her release, but he did not stop. He continued a punishing dance meant to exhaust her, and he pressed his thumb to her throbbing bud, causing her to cry out and arch into him.

He roared, picking her up and shoving her against the wall, pushing himself as far into her as he could go, and soon he was spilling, but still he did not stop.

"_Mine_, Roxanne!" he growled in her ear, wincing slightly at the sound of his animalistic voice. "Say you're mine!"

"Yours!" she howled. "I'm...I'm Solok of Vulcan's woman...yours!"

He roared like an Earth lion, like an animal in heat, and they crashed together. He spun her around so she could fall back on the bed, and he was on her in another moment, taking her once more.

"Then I will _take _what is _mine_!" he growled, slowing his pace so she could feel all of him moving in her. Their feet kicked off the pillows, but at this point he did not care. He only cared that he could get at her, and please her. "And I will see to your contentment, _ashal-veh_!" he shouted as he took her with stronger thrusts.

She whimpered and bucked into him, that fiery aggressiveness coming back. It was intoxicating to see this, to feel this, while sober. The sensations were so much clearer, so much more intense this way.

She ran her fingers through his hair, twisting his straight locks between her fingers; she arched her back into him, and he felt her release once more. He gave her no time to recover as he pounded into her with relentless thrusts.

"Solok!" she cried, pressing her lips to his. She pulled from his mouth and kissed up his jaw, and she captured his earlobe in her teeth. He growled. "Solok, I want you as much as you want me." She bit up the outer shell of his ear, her hips thrusting hard against his. "Make me yours, Solok, take me and make me yours!" Her nails ran down his back. "Do it Solok," she growled. "Make me yours, possess me!" Her fingers dug into his taught muscles. "Do it Solok! I _need_ you!"

He could not resist the urges that were plaguing his soul any longer. She had asked for possession; he would grant it. His hands cupped her jaw with ruthless force, and something deep inside of him told him not to let go. His blood was roaring in his ears as he instinctively poured himself into her, binding her to his _katra_. The bond was forged, and the link held strong as he withdrew. As reality settled back down around him, and he was not so awash in all that was her, he felt her clench and crash again, spilling over him. He returned with release of his own, casting his seed deep into her.

And then he realized it.

She was panting, only half-conscious at this point, as it seemed the bond had sapped her of her remaining energy. He leaned down and tentatively pressed his nose into her hair, and he inhaled, checking the bond as he did so.

She was pregnant.

He carefully slid his arms under her and cradled her in his embrace when he finally comprehended that fact, and she made a soft noise as she fell asleep. He leaned over the side of the bed and fetched the discarded pillows and propped them up so he could hold his _ashaya, _his _telsu _through the rest of the night.

_He was to become a father._

Even though he was nearing forty (he was almost twice her age, he thought ruefully), young by Vulcan standards, the thought of being a father pleased him greatly. He wondered what their child would look like, how they would behave...would they have pointed ears? Green blood? Would they follow logic and discipline, or be openly emotional like Roxanne? Strange how he did not consider Roxanne a true human anymore. He thought of her as she who would be his wife, and thus she was, in a sense, Vulcan.

However, he could not deny that she would have human needs, and human reactions, human emotions. He knew his father would find her disagreeable and demand that he sever this bond. His mother would be pleased that he was making the mother of his child his wife, as was proper. He did not want to shame his clan, or his parents, for not taking responsibility for the actions he had taken last year. It was time to live up to his age and be a man. It was time to take care of his Roxanne, and their child, and prove to her that he was worthy to be called he who is her husband.

…

Roxanne awoke with royal pain in her lower back and a headache that was apparently trying to split her head open, and she felt two immediate urges, and one goal: get to the bathroom, now.

She felt arms trying to hold her back and lips trying to kiss her neck, but she shoved them off and ran for the bathroom door, turning on the light with a wave of her hand and collapsing in front of the toilet. She then deposited the contents of last night's dinner into the receptacle, and she wrinkled her nose at the horrid smell. Still, she forced herself to breathe in deeply, preparing herself for the next onslaught, and she paid no heed to the hand on her back. She heaved and puked up more of her guts, spitting out the bile that was left her throat.

"Roxanne?" She heard his soft, deep voice by her ear, and she hastily wiped away tears, knowing this wasn't quite over. "_Telsu, _are you unwell?"

"I'll be ok in a bit," she retorted before vomiting again. "Be a dear and get me some mouthwash, would you, please?"

She waited, and it seemed to be over. She accepted his offering of mouthwash with a throaty, hoarse thank-you, and after wiping her face with a cold, damp washcloth, she felt decent enough. She padded back to bed, Solok at her heels, and she curled up in bed, exhausted out of her mind.

He slid in beside her and stroked her hair back from her neck, and she murmured thanks before closing her eyes and trying to fall back asleep.

"When were you going to tell me, Roxanne?" She frowned and turned around, staring at him incredulously.

"Tell you what?"

His brow furrowed. "You do not know?"

She shook her head, and his gaze softened. "Lie on your stomach, _ashal-veh_, and I will help you with your pain."

She obeyed without protest, and he straddled her rear, stroking his hands over her bare back. She realized she was naked, but she didn't mind that much. But then she realized that he had mentioned her pain, but she didn't think she had let on her back pain that much. Was he catching on to her emotions with his Vulcan spidey sense?

"Solok, how did you know I-"

She stopped talking and cried out into the thick pillow, growling in pain as his fingers dug deep into her lower back. "Solok, what the hell?" she shouted, her voice muffled by the fluffy pillow.

"Neuropressure," he explained coolly, releasing her from the pressure of his fingers. She felt beautiful release settle over her muscles, and she sighed.

"Wow, that...that feels – aah!" she cried as he pressed again. She closed her eyes and bore it, feeling a strange calm settle over her as he continued. She somehow knew that he was only trying to see to her needs, to make her feel better, and she was truly touched. Once again, she was amazed at how far Solok had come from the pompous bastard she had picked that fight with in the Launching Pad.

"Relax, Roxanne," he cooed, switching to an Earth-type massage. She mewled in pleasure as he worked at the muscles in her back, and soon she was nearly purring like a cat. He was very good at this, and she could feel herself drifting off into relaxed, contented sleep.

"Yes, _ashaya, _sleep," he purred in her ear, kissing the exposed flesh of her neck. She sighed into the pillow nearly asleep. "I have wearied you with my passions. And I suppose our child has wearied you as well."

She fell asleep, too tired to realize what he was talking about. She was warm and safe and content in his arms, in this bed, and everything looked like it was going to be ok.


	11. He'll Fight the Battles I Can't Face

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon (and your characters), Caren Rose, T'Sara, mvw, SadaraLochlan, and Wildblume for reviewing!**_

Roxanne wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet, grabbing some toilet paper to wipe her eyes. She closed her eyes as she clamored to her feet, swaying a little as she wiped the tears off of her cheeks. Solok was waiting outside the stall, and she felt something trembling within her: worry, but it was tempered with calm. Like a battle within her, calm, then worry, serenity, then turmoil. She wondered where it was coming from, but more pressing was the reason she was throwing up all the time. Ever since school started, she had to visit the bathroom once or twice a day, and she avoided the cafeteria like the plague. Solok got her what she wanted, and she wondered if she was developing some sort of strange sensitivity to food and the smell of cooking meat. She hardly ever ate meat anymore; it made her stomach feel like it was trying to learn gymnastics. Mild fish, on the other hand, wasn't as bad. She also found that grilled tofu and certain alien legumes were wonderful meat substitutes.

She unlatched the stall and stepped out, tossing the tear-stained toilet paper into the garbage chute. She sniffed, then pulled her toothbrush from her bag.

She stood in front of the mirror and brushed her teeth, and she watched Solok through the mirror. He was pensive, his face calm, but somehow she knew he was not as calm as he looked. She paused in her hygiene routine.

"You ok, sweetheart?" she murmured. He looked up at her and nodded.

"Simply contemplating this problem."

"Right," she said, and continued brushing her teeth.

"Roxanne, I think you should see a doctor. I am...concerned for you. This cannot be healthy."

"Solok, I feel fine. It's probably just a stomach bug."

"That is still not healthy. Especially considering your condition."

She turned around and glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean? Because I'm human or something?"

He looked confused. "Not at all. I was referring to your pregnancy."

She stared at him, her heart stopping for a few seconds. "What?" she breathed. There was no way...

"You are pregnant, Roxanne," he said clearly. "The night we spent together? We created a child. I can smell it on you."

She laughed nervously. "Ok, you're...engaging in some sort of prank or something. I am not pregnant! And since when did your nose become a tricorder?"

His expression did not change. "I assure you, you are with my child. It is an instinctive biological response. I cannot ignore that smell, or the urges it gives me."

"What sort of urges?" she asked, leaning casually against the sink counter. He was probably joking with her...but he didn't joke as of late...he was always sincere...even before they had gotten together, he was sincere, even if he was a jerk.

"The urge to protect you," he growled, and she was taken aback. She stared at him, still in denial, and she felt strangely cold.

"Are you sure?" she squeaked. He stepped forward and stuck his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply.

"I am certain of this," he purred, taking another deep breath of her scent. "You smell even better than you usually do."

She felt her face get hot, and he lifted her chin, gazing proudly down at her. "You turn the most endearing color when you blush, _thy'la_," he said, his voice deepening to dulcet tones. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears. "There is no shame in this. You and I are bonded, and my _katra _is stirred by your presence. You called to me, even when I was too stubborn to admit it. From the moment you jumped into that argument with Sisko, I have desired you."

She gasped as tears started streaming down her face. Solok frowned, but took her into his arms and rocked her back and forth as she cried into his shirt.

"Solok, do you understand what this could mean for our careers?"

He shook his head. "_Telsu_, there is no regulation that states that two Academy students cannot engage in sexual relations with each other. Starfleet is rigorous in its training, and I am uncomfortable with your current focus as a security officer in training...but it is not my place to hold back your career. Whatever you wish to accomplish, I will support."

She sniffed and hugged him tighter. "I don't want to be a security officer," she whimpered. "I always loved studying the stars and the planets. I want to explore, but I don't want to be on the vessel that gets shot at all the time. I'd rather be an astrophysicist."

He stroked her hair. "I have no say in your career...but I must admit, I like that option far more than you being in security. You would have made a fine officer either way, but I am pleased you are deciding to take this new step."

She shook her head. "I just don't know yet."

He pushed her onto the counter and wiped her tears with his thumb. "All will be well, _ashaya_," he assured her. "We will endure this together. My mother will be quite pleased that she will soon have a daughter-in-law and a grandchild."

She smiled weakly. "My father's going to flip cheese. My mom will probably be ok with it, though. Maybe a bit disappointed that it's happening now, but she'll be ok."

She turned when she heard knocking at the door. "Roxanne?" she heard a male voice say. It was Benjamin. "Are you in there?"

Solok strode to the door and answered it, and Sisko took a step back, his expression contorting into anger and suspicion.

"What the hell are you doing in a girl's bathroom, Solok?" he growled, and Roxanne rolled her eyes.

"I am looking after she who is my _telsu_," the Vulcan replied smoothly. "You are not needed."

"Solok, hold your horses. What's up, Ben?"

"Sicily says you came in here twenty minutes ago and haven't come out. Are you ok?"

New tears welled in her eyes, and Solok immediately came to her side. "Not really, but I will be."

"What's wrong?" he asked, stepping inside and letting the door close.

"I've just been puking my guts out," she said honestly. "I'm tired as hell, I'm having a life crises here and I'm just imagining the look on my daddy's face when I tell this to him."

Ben frowned. "Why are you puking? Are you sick?"

"No, Ben," she said, then sighed. "Sisko-son...I think I'm pregnant."

"You _are_ pregnant," Solok insisted, and she pressed her hand to her forehead.

"This one apparently has a tricorder up his nose. He says he can _smell _it on me."

"Because I can. Didn't you say your roommate was in medical sciences?"

"Yeah," she said. "I guess you'll be wanting proof. You're not the only one."

"Hold on, hold on," Sisko said, his eyes flicking between the two of them. "You think you're _pregnant?_"

"Yeah," Roxanne said blandly. "That's what I just said."

Ben shook his head. "You're pregnant..."

"Are you hard of hearing, or do you think that by repeating what she has told you, it will sink in better? Allow me to tell you once again. She is pregnant with my child."

"With _his _child?" Sisko said, his eyes blowing wide. "You _slept _with him?"

"No," she said with a straight face. "It's hard to explain, but it involved a beaker, two armadillos and a turkey baster." She waited a moment. "Yes, Sisko-son, I screwed him."

Solok frowned, but his lips curled slightly upward in a smirk. "Your humor is quite unusual, _ashaya_."

"So is your tricorder nose."

Sisko laughed at that, and she nodded to him. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week."

Ben rolled his eyes, then sobered. "You're sure you're pregnant?"

"No," she said honestly, just as Solok said 'yes'.

"Wasn't asking you, Solok," Sisko said, his voice deepening to a growl. He turned his eyes on Roxanne. "Sicily can take you to the medical bay."

"Ben, you realize I'm probably going to have to drop out of Starfleet? I don't want this on my record, at least not yet."

Solok shook his head. "You will not have to do such a thing. If we arrange our schedules correctly, this should not be an issue. It will be unusual to raise a child during school, but if I understand your history, you will not be the first to do so."

She sighed. "Solok, thank you for the reassurance, but I'm not even sure if Starfleet is the correct decision for _me_. For _my _career. Which you just said you wouldn't hinder. There are other schools besides the high and mighty Starfleet, you know."

"True," he admitted. "I will do research into any Vulcan academies that might accept your application-"

"Solok, there are human schools that teach astrophysics."

Sisko smirked, but she glared at him. "Ok, first off, you two will settle your differences right here and now. I know you two don't get along, but if I could set aside my previous opinions and make love to the man, you can become his friend. Or at least an ally. For my sake, both of you please...make your peace or don't talk to each other."

The two of them stared at each other for two minutes, apparently sizing each other up. But then Sisko stepped forward and held out his hand. Solok looked down at it, then took it. They shook hands.

"You take care of her," Sisko growled. "Or I will hunt you down and kick your ass."

Solok's eyes darkened, but he nodded. "I would expect no less if I lost my senses so. I assure you, she is in good hands."

"Wonderful," Roxanne said after a moment of silence. "Now if only my father could take the news so well."

Sisko nodded, but Solok looked confused. "Why would your father not rejoice with you? You are bringing new life into the world. It is a momentous occasion."

"In human culture, rejoicing often depends on exactly _when _one has a child, and with whom, and only under certain circumstances. She will probably face a certain stigma if she stays here, especially from us humans."

"All the more reason for me to leave and consider other options."

Solok sighed, then nodded. "I am loathe for you to leave me, but whatever decision you come to, I will support. But only if you agree to meet my parents. I plan to contact them as soon as possible and tell them the good news."

"If your father isn't happy with this, and I can understand him being a bit...upset, he'll get over it. But I feel he probably will be more angry with Solok than you."

"Well, he can forget it. It's my life, and I'm going to be responsible and raise this kid."

"_We _are going to raise this child, _thy'la_," Solok insisted, and Roxanne rolled her eyes, a grin spreading across her face.

"Yes, Solok, you and I will raise this kid together."

She stopped and felt a new wave of tears, but she sucked them up and slid off the counter. "Well, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me."

She ran back to the stall she had been in and threw up a second time, and she heard the door creak open. A warm hand brushed back her hair, and she gasped for breath as she clutched the sides of the toilet, bracing herself for another wave.

"How I wish I could take this pain from you," she heard him whisper, and she felt a tear stream down her cheek as she prepared for another wave. Fear gripped her heart as the future sunk in, but it was pushed away by another wave of vomit.

"You could get me some water. And some avocados. I really want some avocados right now."

"Then you will have them," he said, but waited until she was done before flushing for her and carrying her out of the stall. He allowed her to brush her teeth again and wash out her mouth, but then he set her on her feet and led her out of the bathroom. Sisko stopped them at the door.

"Remember what I said, Vulcan," he said coldly, then patted Roxanne on the back. "You hang in there, Roxie. We're here for you."

She nodded and followed Solok, and he stopped by the caf so he could fetch her some of the soft green fruit and the water she wanted, and they sat underneath her favorite tree as she ate.

"You still need to see a doctor," he insisted. "There could be unforeseen health problems, but of all the cases I have studied, any problems that do arise usually occur in the third trimester."

"Well then, we have time to prepare for that, don't we?"

"Indeed," he agreed, stroking her fingers. "Do you feel better?"

"Sort of," she said, sighing. "But it'll be ok. We'll be ok."


	12. As Two Grows Into Three

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon, Wildblume, T'Sara, SandaraLochlan and the anon reviewer for reviewing!**_

"Roxanne-"

"I've made my decision, Solok. Starfleet isn't my place, and I'll be better off if I'm free to raise a kid. Later, when our kid is older, I can apply for school elsewhere. But I know this is right."

She watched him eye her incredulously, but she folded her arms across her chest, as if daring him to argue.

"Very well," he admitted finally. His gaze drifted down to her swelling stomach. A check-up with the doctor had confirmed that the baby was healthy, and growing quickly.

_"I'm getting a chunky monkey," she said, stroking her belly. Solok frowned._

_"You are giving birth to-"_

_"Why do I even bother?"_

"Have you told your parents yet?" she asked.

"No. Have you informed yours?"

Roxanne sat down on her bed. "No. I'm calling my mother this weekend."

"How do you think she will react to the news?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Seriously, I couldn't tell you. I know Dad will be disappointed."

"Why?"

Roxanne shook her head. "He's always been strict about my grades and stuff. I went into security because that was what he did, but he...nevermind."

Solok sat beside her and caressed her shoulder. "Tell me, ashaya."

She took in a shuddering breath, then wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "I feel like he's never happy with me. Like he's always finding something to criticize. I'm not even sure I want to see him or tell him."

"He is this child's grandparent."

"And though I hate to exclude him, I have the right to do so. This isn't his kid."

"Are you going to exclude my parents as well, should they disapprove?"

"They're your parents. You decide."

He raised an eyebrow and held her closer. "Roxanne...there is something we must discuss."

She glanced up at him, gesturing for him to speak.

"How are we going to raise this child? As in, will they be Vulcan, and follow the Vulcan path? Or the human way?"

She sighed. "Why not both? The Vulcan way is tough, but I guess it would be better for their education to be Vulcan, at least. But they're also human. Humans need to express their emotions, and they shouldn't be ridiculed for it. It's our way. Does our different approach make our way invalid?"

He stared down at her. "You have longed to say that for a long time, have you not?"

She leaned up and nipped at the point of his ear. "Oh, you know I have."

She clamped her teeth over his ear and licked over its edge, and he gasped.

"Ashaya, I did not realize your anger could manifest itself...like this...I am confused."

"You're no the only one," she growled, digging her nails into his shoulder.

"Roxanne," he breathed. "There is one other thing we will need to discuss...you have asked about it before, and soon I must tell you...but not today. Today, we decide how to raise our child."

She leaned against him. "I think I'd like some more information first. You know what would be really awesome..."

He frowned slightly. "Yes?"

She grinned. "If I could talk to Ambassador Spock."

She was only being facetious, but he looked pensive.

"Solok?"

He gazed at her, that now-familiar gleam of mischief in his eyes. "That can be arranged."

…

It was fortunate, Solok thought, that the ambassador was on Earth, at a summit regarding the entrance of the Delos-Maur system into the Federation.

He found Spock talking to an Andorian ambassador, but he hung back, waiting to be acknowledged.

Spock seemed to note the cadet's presence in the background, and his conversation with the Andorian ended soon.

The ambassador considered him for a moment. "Solok, Sovar's son."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, then nodded in affirmation. "I am. Could I arrange an appointment with you, Osu?"

Spock raised an ash-gray eyebrow. "That would depend on when."

"This coming weekend, perhaps? My telsu wishes to ask you some questions."

"For what purpose?"

"I believe she would like information on your upbringing as a Vulcan-human hybrid."

Spock paused. "Your telsu is human, then?"

"Yes. We attend the Academy together."

"Fascinating," the ambassador remarked. "I never would have thought Sovar's son to choose a human mate."

"Neither did Sovar's son," he replied dryly. Solok thought he saw a hint of a smile on Spock's lips.

"You've already picked up some of her humor, I see."

"She does seem to have a proclivity towards employing dry wit," he admitted.

"It appeals to me," Spock said thoughtfully. "I will meet you and her this weekend...Saturday evening, 1800 hours. At the Launching Pad. I wouldn't expect a Vulcan your age to want to visit such a place, but if it isn't too much trouble...?"

Solok couldn't help but smirk. "I do know the place. Thank you, ambassador."

…

Roxanne smoothed her uniform when she noted the ambassador across the bar, and she followed Solok to his table.

"Ambassador?"

Spock set his eyes on Roxanne.

"May I introduce my telsu, Roxanne Hartman?"

The elderly Vulcan bowed his head to her and gestured to the seat across from him.

"How are you feeling?" Spock asked, and she was taken aback. Was her condition that evident?

"Your hand," he explained. "It rests on your belly. My mother did that when she was pregnant with me, or so my father tells me."

"Ok," she said, glancing at Solok. Spock was a celebrated ambassador, and she had no idea how to talk to him.

"Your child is a hybrid? Is it healthy?" the elderly Vulcan asked. Roxanne smiled politely.

"Yes, to both questions."

Spock's brown eyes twinkled. "It was only logical to deduce that you were pregnant, or at the very least trying to get pregnant. Why else would you be asking about my upbringing when you have a Vulcan fiance?" He paused. "Tell me, Ms. Hartman...how are you feeling?"

She blinked. "Tired," she replied. "But ok."

"My mother said her first trimester was quite taxing on her. But she also said she felt wonderful during her second."

"We're not quite there yet," she said with a weary smile.

"Solok said you had questions for me?"

She glanced over at Solok, then swallowed thickly. "Were you teased?" she blurted out. "For being half-human?"

Roxanne thought she could see pain lingering behind his eyes, and he nodded slowly. "Yes. I was often teased for my mother's heritage, and for my father's supposed treason in marrying a human."

"But there were other mixed marriages out there at that time, right?" she pressed. He nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, but due to my father's bloodline, coming from Surak himself, most Vulcans saw...sullying that bloodline with human DNA to be a travesty."

"Why?" she asked. She could feel Solok's thigh pressing into hers.

"Because they do not understand the IDIC," Solok replied, pulling the locket out from beneath her uniform. She wore it everywhere now; it gave her comfort to think of its meaning.

Spock nodded sagely. "We have long been a hypocritical people, determined to spread logic to all points of the galaxy, saying we are enlightened, and yet shunning everything that is not purely Vulcan."

She looked down at the table, fighting tears. "Was the...birth hard?"

Spock raised an eyebrow. "From what I have heard of other mixed marriages, birthing a hybrid is no harder than birthing a human. Though I should warn you...most women who carry Vulcan children have health problems in the third trimester, so be aware of that."

"Thank you."

"Anything else?"

She swallowed. "What about emotions?"

Spock folded his hands in what she now recognized as the Vulcan way, the tips of his forefingers lightly pressed together. "In my youth, I fought hard to suppress all emotion. Now as I grow older...I find no shame in denying myself of emotion on occasion."

Roxanne bit her lip. "Did you ever tell your mother that you loved her?"

She was almost certain that her question pained him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"

"No, it is a valid question." He paused. "I did not tell her for several years. However, on her deathbed...I told her how much she meant to me. My father was very strict with me concerning emotion, but I am not the only hybrid out there. There are hundreds of others like me. Some have taken the Vulcan path, to great success. Others have found some middle ground. There is no set algorithm to see how the Vulcan and human DNA will mix within your child. They may not even have pointed ears."

She grinned. "My father served with Montgomery Scott's grandson. He said they often teased you about your ears."

Spock's eyes were alight with something akin to pleasure. "Yes, though I was thoroughly convinced they were jealous."

"I think they're nice," she said, not sure where it came from, but she looked sideways at Solok's ears. "I like them...even if you are a pompous idiot sometimes."

Solok raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Spock almost looked amused.

"Is there anything else?"

Roxanne shook her head. "No, I think I've got the answers I needed. Thank you very much for giving up your time to come talk to me...us."

Spock stood. "Then I take my leave of you."

…

Sovar unlocked the door to his home with the stroke of a keypad, and he stepped inside, glancing around for T'Pel. The house was quiet but for a few murmured words, and he followed them to the spacious sitting area in the middle of the home. He frowned, noting T'Pel was sitting across from one of Solok's friends, Tolar.

"Tolar, son of Tolev...a'duna, what is the matter?" He could feel her apprehension through their bond.

Sit down and listen, she said to him, and he obeyed. Tolar bowed his head.

"Ambassador, if Solok has not already informed you of...developments with his...personal life on Earth..."

"He has not. Though I do not recall it being any of your business either," he replied coldly. "If something important had occurred, Solok would inform us."

"I do not mean to insult the ambassador, but you are wrong, Osu."

T'Pel sighed. "Tell him what you told me."

"Solok is seeing a human woman. There is rumor around campus that she is pregnant."

Sovar was silent, pondering his statement. "And who is the father of her child?"

Tolar raised an eyebrow. "Solok, of course."

Sovar remained silent for several minutes, pondering this bit of news. "Who is this human woman?"

"She was in Advanced Calculus with your son, Osu, though they met at the Launching Pad. She is a friend of someone he had a disagreement with. He since convinced her to let him be her tutor. They have been meeting frequently since then, on campus and off. Recently, he went to a New Year's party as her guest."

"So that is why he left early..."

"Sovar," T'Pel began, but he cut her off with a look.

Our son has acted disgracefully, T'Pel. I do not wish to argue, only to speak with him and ascertain how much damage he has done. I am most curious about this...human harlot he has fallen in with.

Human harlot? she asked, her eyes flashing. Solok told me she stirs his katra.

His eyes widened, and he turned to Tolar. "You may go."

When the cadet had left the home, he turned to T'Pel. "You mean to tell me, wife, that you knew about this woman, and didn't think to tell me?"

"I was waiting for him to tell you. It is his bondmate, not mine."

Sovar narrowed his eyes. "What did he tell you about her?"

"Only that he tutored her in Calculus, and that she had red hair. He finds her agreeable, and I look forward to meeting her."

"She is human!"

"She is a member of the Federation, the same Federation whose ideals you uphold. And yet you wish to stand here and denounce all humans when you haven't even met the girl?"

"She is unfit to marry my son!"

"Our son. He dissolved his bond with his former telsu, as you know. He had every right to do so."

"Without consulting with his family first?"

"A woman need not consult her family to call the kal-if-fee. And I trust his judgment. She has changed him."

"That, at least, is true."

"She has changed him for the better. She must have made quite an impression on him to change his view of humans."

"She's corrupting him."

"She is making him less like you," T'Pel said coldly. "I have held my tongue all these years regarding your view of emotional species, and I personally am glad that he has forsaken your views."

Sovar felt as if he had been slapped in the face. "T'Pel..." he murmured, reaching for her face.

"Do not," she warned. "I do not wish your touch this night. Perhaps my abstinence will clear your head."

He watched her leave the room, staring after her like a man struck dumb. He then turned, clenching his fists, and he started making plans to go to Earth.

Solok had much explaining to do.


	13. The Future Calls Me, Loud and Clear

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon, SadaraLochlan, mvw, T'Sara, and bina W for reviewing.

Sovar stepped off the shuttle and led T'Pel towards the school. He had not warned Solok of his visit, nor did he stay to greet the admirals who gathered for his arrival. He brushed them off and continued on his way, knowing from the bond more than sense that T'Pel was following him.

He found his son lounging under a tree, a redheaded human at his side. He was drilling her on math problems, holding a PADD in one hand, stroking her fingers with the other.

"Solok of Vulcan!" he called, and his son leaped to his feet. He did not look at all ashamed, which irked him, but what irked him more was the way T'Pel brushed past him and strode casually up to Solok and the young human.

"You must be Roxanne," T'Pel said, holding her hand out for the redhead to shake.

The young woman smiled and obliged T'Pel, giving her a hearty handshake. "In the flesh," she said cheerfully. "You're Solok's mother, aren't you?" When T'Pel confirmed this, the woman's smile widened.

"He looks just like Solok," Roxanne continued, gesturing to Sovar. "I figured you were his lady."

T'Pel's eyes brightened. "You're Crewman Samuel Hartman's daughter. I looked up your record."

She looked surprised. "You know my dad?" she asked, her tone incredulous.

"Yes, I was his commanding officer aboard the Okinawa. But I don't see much of him in you. You must take after your mother."

Solok slipped away from their conversation and approached Sovar, bowing his head in a belated sign of respect.

"Father."

"What were you thinking?" he hissed in Vulcan. "Have you taken leave of your logic?"

"No," Solok said calmly. He offered no explanation for his behavior, but rather stared defiantly at him, as if challenging his authority.

"And you think," Sovar growled, barely suppressing his anger, "that it is acceptable to bond without the permission or approval of one's parents, that you are free to-"

"I have the right to choose another mate," he insisted. "T'Kara would have called the challenge. We dissolved our relationship, as there was no logical reason to continue, and I have chosen Roxanne as my mate."

"You make it sound so simple," Sovar retorted, glaring at his son. "You will enlighten me with your logic."

"Later, father. Roxanne's parents, Samuel and Lindsey Hartman, are coming into town tonight. I see no reason why we cannot discuss this, the six of us, tonight. Roxanne tells me they have rented a condo to stay in. We can meet there."

Sovar's eyes widened. "You dare tell your own father-"

"Sovar," T'Pel said calmly. He stopped himself and looked to his wife, who was staring at him coldly. Roxanne looked worried.

"We will discuss this later, with Roxanne's parents," his wife said.

Sovar raised an eyebrow, but nodded a moment later. T'Pel had not touched him or allowed him to touch her since they had found out about Roxanne. He missed their physical relationship, so he thought it logical to comply with his wife's wishes.

…

Roxanne thought the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Her mother and father were sitting across from Sovar and T'Pel, and Solok was seated at her side, his fingers wrapped around hers.

"Would someone," Samuel began, "kindly explain what my daughter is doing pregnant with this Vulcan's child?"

Solok looked slightly affronted, but she nudged him. "You started this," she insisted, stroking his fingers. "Back in the Launching Pad. You started it. So explain."

He sighed and began the story, and once he was retelling the events at Christmas and New Year's, Sovar stopped him.

"So you left Vulcan early to go see this human?"

"I left to see she who is my telsu," Solok said evenly. Sovar's eyes bulged.

"Telsu?" T'Pel gave him a warning look. "So it is true? When did you abandon your reason, Solok?"

"What's a telsu?" Lindsey asked. T'Pel leaned forward.

"It means my son has chosen your daughter to be his wife. They are less than married, but more than engaged."

Sovar glared at Solok. "You should break the bond you have so rashly formed with this human-"

"This human?" Samuel growled. "This human is my daughter, sir. I would thank you kindly to give her the respect she deserves."

Roxanne swallowed thickly and switched her grip so she was holding Solok's hand.

"She seduced my son and made him throw away an advantageous bondmate-"

"I told you already, father, T'Pera did not want me," Solok said, just as Samuel straightened and hissed, "Are you insulting my daughter?"

Solok apparently heard Samuel's remark, and he rounded on his father.

"Sovar of Vulcan, do not insult she who is my telsu. I will not tolerate it."

"Besides, I'm not convinced your son isn't the one to blame-"

"Dad!" Roxanne interjected. "We're both at fault!"

"The hell you are! I never thought my baby girl would ever sell her body and not take the proper precautions-"

"Mr. Hartman, data on the...receptiveness of the human reproductive system to Vulcan DNA, and vice versa, is very limited," Solok said, turning to her father. "The chances of me getting your daughter pregnant through natural means was always slim. It would have been wise to take precautions, yes, but I do not regret what has occurred. I am to be a father, an honor I never would have thought to have so soon."

"Are you ready to accept the responsibilities of being a father?" Lindsey asked calmly. "You're both in Starfleet, and raising a child while training to give your lives to the service is not easy."

"We as their grandparents should offer our services," T'Pel said, apparently jumping on Lindsey's bandwagon.

"We would appreciate any help you offer," Solok said, bowing slightly to his mother.

"So that is all?" Sovar said, standing and pacing in front of the coffee table that occupied the space between the two couches. "You throw away your career, your future, for a woman we do not approve of-"

"I approve of her," T'Pel said coldly.

"Some of us aren't so keen on your son, ambassador," Samuel said, looking like he might rise, but Lindsey held him back.

"I think Roxanne has made a good choice," she said. "And the ambassador's wife is correct. We should plan ahead, not dwell on the past."

Solok bowed to her, approval gleaming in his eyes. "Thank you, madam."

Lindsey seemed taken aback at his address, but blushed and muttered softly, "my pleasure."

"Mr. Ambassador, sir...dad...the hallmark of adulthood is the ability to accept responsibility," Roxanne said. "We made a mistake, but if we accept the responsibility of our actions, we can turn a mistake into a blessing."

"What is, is," Solok added. "Roxanne is right. We should plan ahead, not dwell on what we cannot change."

Sovar stared at him, almost as if he could not believe what was in front of him, then walked to the door and exited the house.

"Father!" Solok called sharply, but T'Pel held him back.

"Let him go," she whispered gently.

Samuel looked at Lindsey, then at Solok, then at Roxanne.

"I hope you're proud of yourself," he growled, then followed Sovar's lead and marched out.

Roxanne felt an onslaught of tears, but Lindsey slid in beside her and wrapped her arms around her.

"He didn't mean that," she whispered. "He's angry at himself, because he thinks he's failed as a father."

"I didn't ask for this," Roxanne whimpered, tears coursing down her cheeks. "I don't even remember half of it."

"All you can do now is accept your responsibility, and move on. It's all in the past," Lindsey said sagely. "You're totally within your rights to cry. And I'm sure it'll be hard some days, but you're not alone."

T'Pel stepped forward. "No matter what my husband says, I believe you are good for my son. I rejoice with you both for the increase to our houses."

Solok stroked Roxanne's hair. "We will get through this, ashaya. Together."

"There is one thing more," T'Pel said. "Roxanne, has my son told you of the Time?"

She noted Solok's ears turned minty green, but T'Pel's expression remained placid.

"No," Roxanne said. T'Pel gestured to the door.

"Then walk with me, and I will tell you."

"Mother, I should-"

"My son, you had your chance all these months to tell her. Since you failed to do so, I will do it."

Roxanne frowned at Solok, but he looked defeated. So she followed T'Pel out into the gathering dark.

…

She found Solok outside the condo, talking with his father. Or perhaps arguing was a better word.

"You did not listen to your katra, my son, but rather your loins. She will run, and you will-"

"I'm not going to run," Roxanne said firmly. "T'Pel just told me everything, ambassador."

Sovar's grey eyes flashed, and he advanced on her, towering over her.

"She would reveal our shame, our deepest secrets to you, human?"

Solok made to step forward, but she held up her hand. He paused.

"You wouldn't last one night," Sovar hissed. She raised an eyebrow.

"If you doubt my...sexual prowess...ask your son about me. He has a better idea of how I'll fare than you do."

Solok put his hand on his father's shoulder and growled something in Vulcan, and Sovar backed away.

"We will see about that, Solok."

He went inside.

Roxanne waited until the door was closed before stepping up to Solok.

"You will not run?" he whispered. He sounded relieved.

She shook her head, then pulled him down for a gentle kiss.

Several minutes later, she pulled away. "We could do a trial run, you know. Go out to Vulcan, go camping in a cave. It'd be fun!"

He smirked down at her. "You insufferable...wonderful human..."

He leaned down and kissed her again.

…

"Admission?" Roxanne said incredulously.

"Yes," her adviser replied. Solok had been busy packing her books up for her, but he paused at Monroe's next sentence. "Ambassador Sovar himself requested your presence on Vulcan, to study at the College of Astrophysics, a subdivision of the Vulcan Science Academy."

"What?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Monroe asked impatiently. She glared at him.

"Vulcan Science Academy, huh?"

"The ambassador wanted me to tell you that he only wishes the best education and health services for his daughter-in-law, and his grandchild."

Roxanne turned to Solok. "Um...when would I leave?"

"After your term here has ended."

"How long will this admission last?"

Monroe raised his eyebrows. "Two semesters, until further notice. All credit you receive will count as Starfleet Academy credit as well, should you choose to return to this institution."

She bit her lip. "I'll have to think about it."

"He'd like an answer by tomorrow."

"That is not enough time," Solok insisted. "Tell my father she requires a week to review her options."

"Very well," Monroe acquiesced. "I will pass along your message."

…

"Roxanne, are you sure about this?"

She frowned up at him, then silently cupped his cheek. "I don't know your father like you do...but this might be good for me. I don't know...I like T'Pel, and she'll be there...maybe this is the change I've been looking for. And at one of the best schools in the galaxy!"

Solok raised an eyebrow. "The best school in the galaxy, Roxanne."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, sweetie. The thing is, I'd like to at least try...I know the work will be hard, but I'm willing to give it all I've got."

"You were already struggling with Calculus here."

"I was already miserable from being the wrong major. I like astrophysics, and I like studying the stars. I want to try, Solok."

He sighed. "Your unquenchable human spirit is making me...anxious, telsu."

"If me living on your own planet and going to a school you say is the best in the galaxy makes you anxious-"

He pressed his finger to her lips. "Point taken. I will contact my father and tell him you are willing to accept admission into the Vulcan Science Academy. You should probably tell your parents."

She nodded. "Mom's going to be disappointed...I think she wanted to be close to me throughout the pregnancy, you know...be there. Tough luck, I guess..."

"Will you be uncomfortable without your mother there?"

"Solok, I'll be ok. And Vulcan's right around the bend from Earth. It's not like I'm on the other side of the universe."

He raised an eyebrow. "With the way my father is behaving, I fear it may feel like that. For both of us."

She bit her lip, then pulled him down for a kiss.

"Do you often do that when you are nervous?" he asked when they pulled apart.

She shrugged. "It relaxes me."

His eyes darkened. "Do you need me to relax you?" he purred, his lips hovering over hers.

"Considering we'll be apart soon...oblige me, sweetheart."

"With pleasure," he replied, and he sealed his lips over hers.


	14. And I Won't See My Will Break Here

**_Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to Fameanon, maba7x, T'Sara, Ahlysha and Wildblume for reviewing!_**

"Roxanne, you are absolutely sure?" Solok asked her for the seventh time. She sighed.

"Solok, I told you. Starfleet isn't my speed. Hopefully, the VSA will be exactly where I need to be. And besides, it's not like I don't have a handsome fiance to help me out if I have trouble again, right?"

He smirked. "You will keep contact with me, once a day at the very least," he stated, leaving no room for debate.

"Yes, sir," she said, rolling her eyes and giving him a foppish salute. But he nodded in satisfaction, missing her sarcasm, and she sighed. Of course she would be keeping contact with him every day. She would need it, just to keep sane from all the Vulcans around her.

She was struck with sudden fear, the notion that she would fail completely and be left without any education whatsoever, but Solok's calm seeped into her synapses, soothing her, leaving her at peace with the situation.

"My father has allotted me weekly visitation once term starts again, so I might see you grow with our child." He sounded slightly disappointed, yet excited, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think your father has changed his mind about this, or is he still being stubborn?"

He was quiet for a while. "I do not know," he murmured. "But I know my mother is agreeable to you, and for the chance to get to know her new daughter-in-law."

Roxanne smiled at that. "I think I'll like your mother," she said, caressing his chest. He raised an eyebrow down at her and stroked a warm hand down her back, and she sighed into his caresses, mewling like a kitten.

"You sound like a baby _sehlat_," he whispered, and she grinned into his shirt.

"What, those giant bears with fangs? Well, at least I can kick ass..."

He smirked and stroked her hair. "Your presence will be sorely missed," he said suddenly, and she nuzzled further into him, feeling the call of sleep pull her eyelids down.

"I'll miss you too, baby," she whispered, closing her eyes completely. "I'll miss my favorite jerk in the whole wide world."

That earned her two fingers into a sensitive pressure point, but she nipped at his neck in reply. He growled, making to continue the fight, but she laid back down, exhaustion tugging at her bloated, rounded body. She hoped she could lose the weight she was gaining, after the baby was born, but strangely Solok seemed agreeable to the new weight. He liked the thickness of her thighs, and especially her breasts (she supposed she shouldn't be too surprised at that), and often she caught him gazing at her stomach, as if imagining the child nestled inside.

"Good night, Solok," she whispered. He purred and kissed her forehead.

"Good night,_ k'diwa_."

…

Sovar was waiting for them at their gate, and Roxanne noted that his eyes lingered on their joined fingers. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, then greeted his son.

"Welcome back to Vulcan, my son," he said, his tone neutral. But his gray eyes were cold as they looked at her.

"And welcome to she who is my son's_ telsu_, and she who carries his child."

Roxanne bowed her head, and Sovar raised an eyebrow.

"You've much to learn about our customs, daughter," he said, his tone almost dripping with ice. She sighed and looked to Solok, whose eyes were gleaming with irritation.

"Father, mother is eager to see her again, and she needs to get inside. This trip has already tired her."

"Of course," Sovar conceded, leading them to his shuttle. "How can she do well if she has not rested?"

She felt her heart go cold, and she stood closer to Solok, suddenly regretting this entire thing. She had the feeling Sovar's thoughts on this had not changed, and if T'Pel and Solok didn't save her from what she was getting herself into, she would be headed towards a mental breakdown soon.

"How is T'Pel?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"She is well. I believe she wants to take a trip to Shi'Kahr, though, to visit her sister. My wife's sister resides with her husband in the capital. They are both instructors at the Academy. You may meet them sometime."

"Did my paperwork go through?" she asked. Sovar nodded calmly.

"I have taken care of everything," he replied, and she bowed her head, trying to look cheerful, trying to feel happy about this. All she felt was worried.

Again, she felt Solok's soothing presence, and she leaned on him, even though Sovar looked slightly repulsed by her show. She closed her eyes and decided she didn't care, not now, not when she was tired and hot and struggling against the gravity and her own body.

"When does the term start again at Starfleet Academy, my son?"

"The Earth month of August," he replied. "Mother will be pleased to have me home again for three months, I am sure."

"Indeed," the ambassador said. "She went to the market earlier today to get sweet potatoes. Do you like sweet potatoes, Roxanne?"

"Yes," she said. "I've always liked them."

"And you, Solok?"

Her fiance raised an eyebrow. "The cafeteria at the Academy has served them before, but I have not tried them."

"They go well with cinnamon," she muttered into his shoulder, and she felt a burst of surprise and what felt like arousal from him. Sovar turned around.

"Forgive me, daughter, but I did not understand what you said."

"She was telling me how to prepare them," Solok stated, covering for her. She smiled. "I will pass on the information to mother."

The ambassador stared at her coldly, but she simply closed her eyes again and sighed. "How far away is your house?" she asked Solok.

"Still another ten minutes," Sovar replied for him. "I wouldn't suggest falling asleep, daughter."

She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fist, then relaxed. Solok stroked her hair.

"Are you unwell, Roxanne?" he murmured, his voice tinged with concern. She opened one eye.

"Solok, I'm tired," she said sleepily. "Your kid is taking it out of me."

"Perhaps you should have considered that before mating with my son," Sovar said, and she felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. Solok, on the other hand, straightened and said something to Sovar in Vulcan before holding her tighter to his chest.

"Rest,_ ashaya_," he whispered. "We will be home in a few minutes."

"At which time, you should begin instructing her on how a wife of Vulcan behaves," Sovar interjected, his voice still cold. She nodded.

"That's a good idea," she said cheerfully. She would win this game against Sovar, this battle of wills. She had already beaten Solok at his own game, and she wasn't about to be told off by this grouchy old conservative.

****She had Solok on her side now, and T'Pel, and her mother, and Sisko and Sicily. She had a team, and he had no one. The devil had come alive again in this old dotard, but she would seal the deal with a smile and an unquenchable human spirit.


End file.
